Low back pain is one of the most common reasons people see a doctor. In fact, 1 in 4 people experience low back pain at some point in their lives. Yet, many treatment approaches only achieve surface-level or temporary relief without getting to the root cause of chronic lower back pain.
What’s often overlooked in many traditional solutions to lower back pain is weakness in the deep lumbar muscles that support the spine. These muscles are critical for spinal stability, and when they’re weak or underused, the spine is more susceptible to injury, strain and chronic pain. Here, we take a closer look at how these muscles can be related to low back pain and what you can do to effectively target and strengthen them.
Deep Lumbar Muscles Explained
The lumbar spine relies on a series of deep stabilizing muscles, including the multifidus and erector spinae muscles. These muscles are located close to the spinal vertebrae and are constantly working to support upright posture, control spinal movements and protect your back during daily activities and rehabilitation.
Research shows that even after a minor back injury or strain, these muscles can become damaged and do not tend to repair themselves without targeted strengthening. This is one major reason why many people struggle with chronic back pain – without proper strengthening techniques, these muscles never adequately repair and the body begins to compensate with other muscle groups, such as the glutes or hamstrings. This compensation can then place even more pressure on spinal discs, causing pain to continue to worsen over time.
If the deep lumbar muscles go under-used for long periods of time, they can begin to atrophy, or shrink and weaken, making it even more challenging to restore proper function, especially without a targeted approach
Why Typical Workouts Aren’t Enough
Many people focus on core strengthening or weight training to help strengthen the back, but these general activities do not isolate the deep lumbar muscles that provide the stabilization and strength needed to properly support the spine and solve low back pain. For example, activities like sit-ups, push-ups and squats utilize multiple muscle groups at the same time, so it can be fairly easy for your body to compensate for weak lumbar muscles using other muscle groups instead.
Sometimes, physical therapy movements can also have a difficult time completely isolating lumbar muscles, since the pelvis needs to be stabilized in order to do so. Without this pelvic stabilization, once again, other muscle groups can take over and do the “heavy lifting,” so to speak, for weakened lumbar muscles.
How MedX Can Help
The MedX Lumbar Extension Device is one of the only tools designed specifically to isolate and strengthen the deep lumbar muscles that support the spine. It uses a patented pelvic restraint system to prevent other muscle groups from compensating for weakened lumbar muscles. This forces the lumbar muscles to perform the movements, gradually strengthening and repairing them over time.
The MedX device is adjustable and customizable, allowing you to safely and gradually increase the strength and flexibility of deep lumbar muscles. More than 100 peer-reviewed studies have shown that MedX therapy can increase lumbar extension strength, reduce the recurrence of back pain, improve endurance and reverse muscle atrophy.If you are interested in learning more about how the at-home MedX device works and if it could be right for you, ask your doctor about the patient referral process. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest news and information about MedX.
