Is Your Back at the Top of Its Game?

A 2006 study by researchers from the Royal National Orthopedic Hospital looked at the spines of 33 elite adolescent tennis players, male and female, who trained at the National Tennis Centre, the club of choice for Britain’s most promising young prospects. None of the players had reported back pain. But as it turns out their backs were a mess.

Twenty-eight of the teenagers, a whopping 85 percent, were found to have serious spinal abnormalities that ranged from cysts to fractures. Twenty-three had early-stage joint disease while 13 had herniated discs or desiccated, shriveled discs. These kids the next generation of British tennis pros, had backs 60 years older than they were. “Tennis requires more frequent, repetitive and rapid rotation from the lumbar spine than other sports,” the authors wrote. “Playing it is particularly detrimental “during the growth spurt.” I tend to disagree with this statement, take a closer look at the training protocols of these youngsters and we’ll see where the problem lies.

As the authors of the British study point, those young tennis players were strong. But they were strong only in terms of their “tennis muscles”, particularly those in the shoulders. Compared with their counterparts in other national junior programs, British players spend little time in the weight room and spend little time stretching or cross-training. Instead they hit and hit and hit, and rotate and torque and rotate and torque. They become faster and sharper as their backs insidiously break down.

Many of us know from firsthand experience, back problems don’t afflict just teenage tennis players. According to various studies, at least a third of all competitive football players will hurt their lower backs during play, so will one third of gymnasts and 25 percent of serious rowers. About 40 percent of divers will develop a spinal stress fracture, and many cyclists will experience constant, nagging back pain while riding.

The worst sport, however, is golf. Ninety percent of injuries to professional golfers involve the lower back and the neck, and nearly 80 percent of pros will miss at least one tournament because of back pain. As many folks can testify, back pain is not limited to the athlete. Other than the common cold back pain is the most common complaint seen in US doctors’ offices today. So what can you do to preserve and protect your spine?

To build a better back, you need a solid core. “The core” is a buzz word for an area of the body that is constantly referred to but few people can accurately locate. It’s not just the abdominals, as many people think, the core consists of all the muscles that move and stabilize the spine.

As Vijay Vad, a sports medicine specialist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City and a back-care adviser to the professional men’s tennis circuit and the PGA Tour says, “from your knees to your nipples. That’s the core.”

Aside from core strength, muscle endurance is a major key to back health. You have to have enough muscular endurance to maintain spinal stability throughout the entire length of an activity. Whether its 18 holes of golf, three sets of tennis, four quarters of football, a long bike ride, or a long day of work for that matter; if your core can’t keep up, your back will let you know.

Flexibility is another key component, a 2004 study of 42 professional golfers and found that those with the smallest range of motion in their lead hip and lower back had the highest frequency of back pain. A lack of flexibility in the hips and hamstrings create increased load on the lower back. A good stretching program, help improve flexibility and help maintain a healthy back.

It is important to note that flexibility without strength and stability can leave the spine prone to injury. So it is imperative that your training program is well balanced and contains core strength, endurance and flexibility training.

Here a couple core exercises you can add to your routines to help keep you back at the top of its game.

The Abdominal Brace – This is the prerequisite to all exercises. Start by practicing the brace on the floor as described below. Once comfortable with the movement practice the brace throughout the day while sitting, standing driving, etc. The abdominal brace is the key to spinal stability and should become second nature.

Preparation

Lay in the supine position with your hands behind your head and feet flat.

Movement

Brace your abdominals by pulling your belly button towards your spine and then gently flexing your outer abdominals as if you were pushing them towards your feet. Return to a relaxed position and repeat.

Tips

Try to relax the rest of your body while bracing your abdominals and continue to breathe throughout the brace.

The Plank

Preparation

Position yourself face down (prone) on your knees and forearms. Keep your feet off the floor.

Movement

Brace your abdominals and hold retract the cervical spine and contract you glutes. Keeping your knees on the floor, raise your torso up off the floor. Maintain the modified plank position for as 30 seconds or until you can no longer maintain an abdominal and gluteal contraction. Relax and repeat 3 – 4 times

Tips

If you fail to maintain the abdominal brace and gluteal contraction you will feel pressure in the lower back. Don’t let this happen

Progression

Perform on your toes.


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