Essential Exercises to Prevent Low Back Pain in Tactical Athletes

By Joe Hanel, LAT

Back pain can be quite complex and a real hassle.

Whether you strained your back lifting something, sat for too long, or woke up with that all-too-familiar ache, back pain can really slow you down.

But here’s the good news—there are things you can do to help!

When back pain hits, it's important to take action.

Rest is a good starting point, but recovery requires more. You need to stay active and work on strengthening your back to help it heal and stay strong.

And remember, not all advice about back pain is accurate.

Let’s clear up some common myths:

• Myth 1: "If My Back Hurts, I Should Rest All Day."

  • Resting a little can indeed help when your back hurts. But too much rest can make your back worse. When you don’t move, your muscles can weaken, and stiff muscles can lead to more pain. Gentle exercises within pain limits can help reduce pain and keep your muscles strong.

• Myth 2: "Lifting Heavy Things Always Causes Back Pain."

  • Your back is strong and resilient. Lifting heavy objects can hurt your back if you do it the wrong way too many times in a row for an extended period, but learning the right technique can actually strengthen your back. The key is to lift with your legs, not your back. Keep your back flat, bend your knees, and use your leg muscles to lift. If you do find yourself out of position, it’s not the end of the world but you’ll want to focus on your form with each lift if your job requires repetitive lifting tasks.

• Myth 3: "Only Old People Get Back Pain."

  • Back pain can happen at any age. While it’s true that it becomes more common as we age, kids and teenagers can experience it, too, especially if they carry heavy backpacks, play sports, or spend too much time sitting. Everyone needs to care for their back, regardless of age.

  • It’s estimated that up to 80% of Americans will experience lower back pain at some point. Low back pain and disability impact up to 62% of our industrial workforce. Low back pain can also affect our police, firefighters, and emergency response at similar rates.

• Myth 4: “I Lift all Day, I Don’t Need to do Any More Exercises.”

  • Your body is good at adapting to the needs of your daily life and working efficiently, but that doesn’t mean it’s strong. All it means is you can do your normal work with less energy. It also means that taking care of your body requires more mobility and strengthening exercises to make sure the volume of work your body is able to handle is more than what it experiences on a daily basis.

So, what can you do to prevent low back pain?

Over the years, I have treated LBP patients in many ways, trying lots of different approaches and hoping something provides them relief.

I have found that preventative exercise is the best way to prevent recurrence for many of those I have treated. Often, it may not be a lower back injury or tightness causing their discomfort, so it is important to address core strength and hip mobility while examining the lower back.

Check out this exercise progression, for example:

Start with a warm-up:

1. Single knee to chest stretch: Lay on your back with knees bent, draw in belly button to engage core. Birng one knee up to your chest and hold for up to 30 seconds; switch sides.

2. Rotation stretch/knee rock: Lay on your back with knees bent. Draw in belly button to engage core. Slowly rock knees to one side and hold for up to 30 seconds; switch sides.

3. Lumbar rotation stretch: Lie on your back, then bring one knee toward your face so that your hip is flexed to 90 degrees. With the opposite hand, pull it sideways toward the floor to feel a stretch in the lower back/buttock. Keep your shoulders flat on the ground during the stretch.

4. Back bridge: With head and shoulders relaxed tighten abs and glutes. Push through your heels to raise your hips, hold for 3 deep breaths and repeat.

5. Contralateral Extension: Activate your lower abdominals by bringing your belly button inward and by activating your pelvic floor muscles (inner thigh). Maintain steady abdominal breathing while you lift one arm and opposite leg up towards the ceiling keeping your chin tucked in. Return and repeat with the other arm and opposite leg.

6. Bird Dog (band optional): On all fours, draw in belly button then extend one arm then the other, then one leg then the other. Focus on keeping your back flat and staying balanced. Hold in extension for 1-3 sec. then switch sides.

If that’s too easy, try simultaneously moving one arm up and the opposite leg up. Focus on keeping your back flat and staying balanced. Hold in extension for 1-3 sec. then switch sides. This movement should be slow and controlled.

For Tactical Athletes, these exercises may be a starting point that progresses toward building lower body resilience with squats, deadlifts, weighted carries, and rotational movement patterns so you can handle anything the job throws at you.

By working on core strength and hip mobility, you'll keep ahead of lower back tightness and pain.

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Disclaimer: As a reminder, these exercises are for educational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. If you have a complex history of lower back pain, are unsure if these exercises are right for you or have pain while doing an exercise, it is recommended that you connect with one of our skilled clinicians to assess further. It may be recommended that these exercises or a different series are accompanied by manual therapy, trigger point dry needling, and therapeutic cupping to ensure that you achieve your goals.

Suppose your agency has a high prevalence of lower back pain. In that case, it’s best to start with a job site analysis to determine the work's physical demands and make ergonomic training programs or workplace modifications to prepare workers for success. Contact us to learn more.