By Phil Heit

I have always considered myself an athlete whose physical prowess was never in doubt. When I was a kid growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y., I would take to the pavement at sunrise and – except for lunch and dinner breaks – not leave until darkness set in.

Just place a ball, any type of ball, in my hands and I was content. As I gravitated toward my teens, running became my passion. I was a track star in high school and a solid cross country runner. But after running for a couple of years in college, I began losing enthusiasm and packed up my Nikes.

It took only a couple of years before I had the itch to run again and thus began my immersion into the world of marathoning that emboldens me today. I maintained an athletic physique and thought of myself as immune to physical breakdown. Unfortunately, I soon became aware that the system of muscles in my lower back had become a haven of dysfunctional operatives that would shut down my ability to complete simple movements such as sitting and standing.

I had become part of the “lower back club” whose membership has encompassed 90 percent of Americans at some time in their lives. Lower back pain is second to the common cold as the cause for lost days at work.

The Core of the Problem
Whether you are a well-conditioned athlete or your physical activity consists of exercising the fingers via the remote control, it is imperative you consider the importance of caring for your back. As much as I engaged in physical activity, my attention to the core muscles in my body was in absentia.

The core includes the many different muscles that run the length of the torso and help control the stability of the spine and pelvis area. Contrary to popular thought, the abdominal muscles are only one part of the core and their action is limited.

If you have issues with your back, the cause needs to be identified first. An assessment by a physician is necessary for the appropriate intervention as back problems can be due to mechanical reasons, such as how you move, or any number of other situations such as injury, disease, kidney stones, etc.

For 90 percent of the people who have a lower back problem, the road to successful intervention requires the strengthening of weak core muscles. When a person has a weak core, natural movement is impeded. For example, I would take long, fast walks and not recognize that I was leaning to one side. This resulted in poor mechanics that led to severe pain in my lower back. If I had implemented an exercise program that incorporated using my core muscles, I could have bypassed months of pain.

Treating and Preventing Lower Back Problems
One current trend is using fitness as a treatment and prevention for back pain. Active strengthening exercises for core muscles can serve to promote a healthy back. The exercises shown here represent a small sample of the exercises you can incorporate into your daily living. In addition to these exercises, activities such as Pilates are excellent for building the core.

Focus on the basics of building a healthy back. Get back to the core by moving your body in the right direction.

Dr. Philip Heit is Professor Emeritus of Physical Activity and Educational Services at The Ohio State University.