McGill's Big 3: The BEST Exercises to Overcome Low Back Pain

 Dr. Stuart McGill is an internationally known biomechanist that has devoted much of his research to the study of low back pain and how to beat it. Through his research, 3 exercises emerged to be the best exercises for strengthening your core and low back. The important part about these exercises are that they keep your lumbar spine in a neutral position (which is where your lumbar spine wants to be) while also strengthening the surrounding muscles.

The FIRST of the Big 3 exercises is: Crunches!

Getting Ready for CRUNCHES!
-To do a proper McGill Crunch, lay flat on your back. 
-Keep one leg straight and bend your other leg at the knee and place that foot flat on the ground
-Place your hands underneath the arch of your low back with your palm facing down

HOW TO PROPERLY DO A MCGILL CRUNCH:
-Before doing anything, tighten your core just enough to prevent any movement in your lumbar spine (Remember, the goal of this exercises is to stiffen your core and build stability in your lumbar spine WHILE it's in a neutral position)
-Slightly lift your elbows off the ground while at the same time slightly lifting your head off the ground
-While lifting your head off the ground, keep it also in a neutral position (aka don't just flex your neck to raise your head off the ground)

If you're doing this exercise right, it really should look like you're not doing much at all! But remember, you're doing this exercise to rebuild your bad back. It happens with baby steps.

Stay tuned over the next couple of weeks to find out what the other 2 best exercises are for fixing your low back pain!

If you or someone you know is experiencing low back pain, book today with Dr. Brenda Yee to begin your journey on beating back pain! Through guided strengthening rehabilitation and hands-on treatment for sore muscles and stiff joints, you'll be moving and grooving your way to being pain free. (And no, you won't be coming for treatments forever just to "get cracked".)

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