Master Lower Back Pain Relief with Deadlifts in Chiropractic Rehab
As chiropractors, we often see patients who experience lower back pain due to everyday activities like lifting their children, carrying groceries, or tackling yard work. These routine tasks can place significant stress on the lower back muscles, making building strength and tolerance in these movements crucial. While the deadlift is traditionally viewed as a weightlifting exercise, it can be an invaluable tool in a rehab setting to help patients recover from or prevent lower back pain.
Why Deadlifts Are Effective in Rehab
Improving Functional Strength
Whether a new parent is bending over to lift and carry their child or someone is bending over to empty the dishwasher, the deadlift is a similar movement. Training the deadlift will increase the tolerance to these movements and positions.
Increased Confidence
Those suffering from lower back pain can develop a fear avoidance of lifting and reduced confidence in their spine to tolerate loading. Gradually increasing the load of a deadlift can address these concerns and restore confidence.
Strengthening the Back Extensor Muscles
Reduced strength of the back extensor muscles is commonly seen in those experiencing chronic lower back pain. The deadlift engages those back extensor muscles to strengthen them and reduce the risk of future injuries.
Exercise Progression for Training the Deadlift
When introducing the deadlift, it’s important to start with foundational movements and gradually progress to more challenging variations. This step-by-step approach helps patients develop proper form, build confidence, and safely increase strength. Below is a progression you can follow to guide your patients through effective deadlift training.
Hip Hinge
The hip hinge is the starting progression. Using a dowel can be helpful in training the hip hinge and ensuring proper deadlift form. With a soft bend in the knee, push the hips back while keeping the dowel in contact with the head, thoracic spine, and sacrum. The goal is to maximize movement in the femoroacetabular joint while maintaining core engagement.
Banded Pull-Thru
The banded pull-thru adds load to the hip hinge. Having the exercise band anchored behind allows for better hip extension feedback. The key is to push the hips back towards the wall and then extend the hips to push the band. It’s important that patients don’t get overzealous with the extension in the lumbar spine, as some will report discomfort as they hyperextend, leading to facet joint irritation.
Banded Deadlift
The banded deadlift is a progression to the banded pull-thru and an alternative to a traditional deadlift. Changing the band anchor to the feet prepares the person for a weighted deadlift. The biomechanics all stay the same with this movement, trying to keep the core engaged to limit movement in the spine while maximizing hip movement.
Deadlift
The final progression is to add weights to the deadlift. A dumbbell, kettlebell, or barbell can all be used. Initially, we can raise the weight from the floor to be more comfortable with the movement. Then, we gradually reduce the height of the weight to increase the range of motion of the hinge. It is important to remember that the height of the weight and the amount of load used during the deadlift depend on the patient’s goal.
In Conclusion
The primary goal in teaching patients to deadlift isn’t to have them lift the heaviest weight possible. Instead, the focus is on building tolerance and strength to manage the everyday loads they encounter. If they wish to progress the deadlift further, that's an excellent goal. However, from a rehab perspective, ensuring that they can safely and effectively handle real-world demands is key.
By integrating deadlifts into your rehab programs, you can give patients the tools they need to overcome lower back pain and confidently return to their daily activities.
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