Workout Myths

By Brandon Lowe, Sunbury Physiotherapy

1) Myth about needing a straight back to lift:

There is popular belief that we must lift with a completely straight back to avoid injury, with the explanation of this to sound something along of the lines of "it puts too much pressure on the back" or "too much stress on the discs".

However, this myth is slowly being busted by more and more research on the topic that suggest we may not be looking at it the right way.

Workplace health and safety personel and healthcare practitioner commonly advise that rounding of the lower back be avoided, however, this advice has not been met with a reduction in the rates of lower back pain.

In a 2020 systematic review and meta-analysis, which is how we interpret multiple studies on the same topic, there was actually no strong evidence to suggest there is any link at all between rounded back lifting and developing back pain. Other research has shown that it does not even lead to increased stress on our discs or any other part of our lower backs. The authors of the study even state that advice to minimise this rounding of the back is "difficult to justify".

What seems to matter more, when discussing possible reasons why we develop back pain, typically revolve around lifting and bending very frequently, and moreso if it's not something we would do on a regular basis.

That's where the importance of an gradually loaded exercise program fits in, as we can increase the capacity of our muscles and joints in our back, to be better adapted to lifting heavy loads and bending repeatedly on a daily basis.

2) Myth that TA works in isolation:

Pain in the lower back and hip region can commonly be attributed to having a "weak core" or a "lack of core stability" by many healthcare practitioners. This leads to plenty of advice about activating the core and many hours lost going into thinking about whether you're activating the correct part of core muscles or not. Unfortunately, it also leads many people to become scared about moving in certain ways or taking part in activities they really enjoy because they're worried about their weak core and that they're vulnerable to getting hurt.

A muscle that get the blame majority of time is a corset-like muscle called the transverse abdominis (TA), which has long been believed to be the foundation of having a strong core. However, this now appears to be a really outdated way of thinking about the causes for low back pain, because not only has there not been a link made between a weak TA muscle and the onset of pain, but we actually haven't been able to find an exercise that can selectively strengthen this muscle. And it definitely begs the question as to how important this is, when low back pain affects everyone from athletes to labourers and even those working from home and those who don't exercise much at all, all of whom would have varying levels of "core" strength who often experience back pain at pretty similar rates.

It's important to know that while there can be many factors which may related to risk of developing pain, being scared to move because your core has been labelled as weak definitely is not one of them. Physiotherapists often prescribe exercises that could be listed under the core stabilisation banner, however these are often prescribed under the pretense of allowing short term symptom reduction and building confidence in those who are fearful of movement.

The takeaway message here is that the label of a weak core often does not have any scientific research underpinning it, and it instead acts as a barrier to completing exercise you find enjoyment and fulfillment with. Motion is lotion and any and all activities allow us to keep not only our core strong, but the rest of our muscles too!