Increase Motion and Reduce Back Pain
with Side Lunges
Video by Dr. Bryan Stephens
Side Lunges to Reduce Hip and Back Pain
As a Chiropractor I look for new ways to help people reduce hip and back pain, while increasing motion. I attended a workout class this morning that reminded me of side lunges. I had forgotten how great a movement it can be to increase motion and the amount of muscle groups that one movement can hit. Gluteus muscles, IT band, hamstrings, quadriceps, and back postural muscles are just to name a few. An added bonus is that when I do these exercises at home, my girls say I look like Spider-Man. It’s nice to appear as a superhero to my daughters and they get to see the importance of taking care of yourself with proper movement.
I will also start with this; side lunges would be a progression after basic squats once pain has decreased to a point where stability can be more of a focus. Once movement has been restored (adjustments, rehab, Hilton’s Law!), we can focus on increasing strength and building upon a solid foundation. When the hips don’t move fully, we disrupt the kinetic chain which causes compensations to develop. Over time, these compensations create more inflammation and adhesions in the muscle which causes the back pain many deal with on a daily basis. This is why we, the Chiro Health team, stress the importance of full range of motion for every joint, every day, with resistance. This is what keeps our joints healthy and our pain at bay. The restrictions are addressed with the adjustments, motion is restored to the affected joints, and the body doesn’t continue to compensate and create inflammation and pain.
Side lunges are yet another way to keep the hip moving through its full range of motion while activating the muscles to build stability and keep us upright at the same time. For those of you reading this who are at the advanced exercise stage, add some side lunges to your exercise. If you’re dealing with pain, don’t feel discouraged. Get checked out, get adjusted, build your foundation of stability, and then you can progress to side lunges too!
Reference
Ko, Min-Joo, et al. “Differences in performance on the functional movement screen between chronic low back pain patients and healthy control subjects.” Journal of physical therapy science 28.7 (2016): 2094-2096.
Our Message
When you are looking for a Chiropractor near you that you can trust, choose one who will not only get rid of your back pain, neck pain, or headaches but who will also guide you to living a healthier lifestyle to keep you out of pain. Our Chiropractors located in McKinney, near the corner of Eldorado Pkwy. and Stonebridge Rd., will teach you what the research says about how and why we should eat a better diet, move more and have more positive thoughts. By improving these areas of our lives we can become healthier, stay out of pain and reduce risk of diabetes and other diseases!