Strengthening your back is essential to improve posture, prevent injuries and strengthen the entire body.
Against back pain, you have to move. “In the case of chronic pain, patients are, in most cases, afraid of movement, because they will tell themselves that they will hurt themselves, and will avoid any activity. Whereas it is quite the opposite : a healthy back means a mobile back and strong muscles” reminds us Nicolas Mascarenhas, physiotherapist at the Guillaume de Varye rehabilitation center in Saint Doulchard (18). “Having regular physical activity will make it possible to avoid or delay a possible back injury. So you don’t have to wait until you have back pain to strengthen it.”
In fact, when you have back pain, it’s often because you need to strengthen your muscles. “The back is an enormous frame. A back without muscles is like a house of cards that collapses. The muscles adapt to the constraint. In terms of effort, but also to laziness. “ The work of the physiotherapist therefore aims at reconditioning with effort or muscle strengthening adapted to the patient. “For example, if someone has back pain, we are not going to make them do deadlifts or crossfit; we are going to give them exercise reconditioning, we are going to teach them to move their body, to readjust to the effort, to strengthen yourself, and once he is better, we can start more intense weight training.”
The work will primarily focus on the enduring muscles, the postural muscles, like the deep muscles. “This involves, for example, sheathing and really deep toning.” Core training is therefore the basic exercise that effectively strengthens the back muscles. We find it in Pilate. “It’s a very complete sport and very good for people with chronic pain. Otherwise, there are typical exercises like tonic four legs, superman, deep core or dynamic core. We will mainly play on the duration, and solicit the abdominal and transverse muscles at the level of the abdominal strap.”
Physiotherapy or gym? “Our added value lies in therapeutic education”insists Nicolas Mascarenhas, recalling the new law (1) allowing direct access to physiotherapists. “We will do a first so-called assessment session to take stock of their pathology with the patient. We will explain to them what is good to do at the muscular level but more generally also about their lifestyle.” The physiotherapist can also give exercises to do at home.
The gym generally offers a wide range of strength training equipment and allows you to freely follow your own training program, according to your availability and at your own pace. “It’s very good to go to the gym, but you have to know what to do, and not hesitate to hire a coach to do the right exercises without hurting yourself. Without the support of a professional, it It can be difficult to correct your posture or ensure the effectiveness of the exercises, especially if you are a beginner.”