Experts speak
“I have a weak back and I often suffer from it, also with sports. I want to move, but I don’t dare to go to the gym in this way. Where does this pain come from and what can I do best to get rid of it ?” asks Sylvia from Hilversum.
Physiotherapist: “Most back pain goes away on its own.”
“It is difficult to give tailor-made advice about back complaints. In general, back complaints are difficult and affect daily life. Unfortunately, there is no miracle cure for back complaints yet, but it is perhaps a comforting thought that most back complaints go away on their own. It is also reassuring that there is usually no permanent damage or illness.”
“One of the most common forms of back pain is low back pain, also often called lumbago or lumbago. If you have low back pain, you really feel the pain in the lower back. Pain radiating to the buttock or leg is not uncommon. Especially long. standing or sitting, but also moving, can hurt a lot. For most people it is very difficult to indicate where the back pain comes from. It is certain that back pain often has to do with the muscles, ligaments and joints in the back.”
“It may sound illogical, but it’s important: try to keep moving. That’s the best way to get the muscles of the back in shape. Research shows that not moving the back does more harm than good. Keep moving, without forcing, many complaints will go away on their own. If you have a lot of or long-term back pain, then seek advice from a physiotherapist. physiotherapist can view your back and advise you on sports and exercise.
Sports and fitness coach: “Be careful and exercise regularly.”
“If you have a weak back, fitness can be good. But you can’t just start exercising. Before you start something, you need to know what you are allowed to do and what you can do. That is why you first have an intake interview. We ask all kinds of things: what has the complaints been dealt with so far, have you already reached the doctor have you had any treatments and if so, which ones?”
“If no structural abnormalities and serious complaints have been detected in previous examinations, we will continue. We observe your posture, and – if necessary – we test some bodily functions. If your back complaints are caused by incorrect posture, a combination of For example, fitness and posture therapy such as Cesar or Mensendieck are recommended overweight a (main) role, you can think of a combination of fitness and advice from a dietician.”
“It is better to train several times a week than occasionally fanatically. By training regularly, you distribute the load and you get a better result. Build up slowly and train regularly are recommended if you do not have a time swimming, cycling and to walk are good activities that you can combine with fitness once a week.”
“If you opt for fitness after the intake interview, whether or not in combination with something else, we will put together a training schedule in our center. On the basis of a fitness test we determine what the load may be. You will then receive a schedule with which you can brings the right muscles back into balance. We supplement this with the necessary stretching exercises.”
Cesartherapist: “Start with guided exercises.”
“The Cesar therapist will ask you all kinds of things about back pain: how long have you had it, when, what kind of pain, how do you describe that pain, what sport do you practice and what kind of work do you do? We also conduct a study, in which we look at the posture, the mobility of, among other things, the back and the length and strength of muscles.”
“We try to tackle the causes of the complaints, with the aim of solving and preventing them. How do you walk, sit, bend and lift? How can you do that in a different way, which reduces the complaints. Back pain can be a cause of muscles that are too weak, both in the abdomen and in the back, as a result, there is too little support for the ligaments and joints.”
“As long as back complaints do not persist all the time – including at rest – there is almost never permanent damage. If you want to get rid of back complaints, training those muscles is very important. There are simple exercises for that. It is important to keep in mind that these exercises are not too heavy in the beginning. That is why I recommend that you start under supervision. If you have not trained your muscles for a while, it is logical that you will feel them when you get started “That is part of it and is often not serious. Try to find out for yourself where the complaints come from and what you can do to prevent complaints. Keep moving. That is also important.”