Low Back Pain? It�s All In The Hips.

Researchers In Kinesiology’s Running Injury Clinic Take Aim On Lower Back Pain You’ve probably heard a lot about the importance of your core muscle group recently, and most of us tend to think about core in terms of a sculpted ‘six pack’ and a strong back. Dr Reed Ferber says most people forget that their core extends well below the belt. “What most people don’t realize is that many of the muscles that support your lower back begin in your hips,” says Ferber, who is the Director of the Running and Walking Injury Clinic at the Faculty of Kinesiology. “When those hip muscles become weak and inflexible they create alignment issues that often result in pain in the lower back and hips.” In other words if your back hurts, blame your weak hips. Karen Kendall, a clinical assistant and PhD student with The Running and Walking Injury Clinic, recently won the prestigious Meredith Award from the Alberta Workers’ Compensation Board, and a $25,000 cheque to study current diagnostic models for low back pain. “I hope to be able to help clinicians and doctors find a more objective and valid test than they are currently using,” says Kendall, “I also hope to show them the relationship between weak hips and lower back-pain and eventually recommend an optimal course of treatment that will reduce their pain.” The Clinic has already had astonishing results. In a preliminary clinical trial, patients following a hip-strengthening program reported a significant reduction in pain with a corresponding increase in hip strength after only three weeks.  Click here to download the exercise program. “This is just preliminary data,” says Ferber, but facts don’t lie. “These findings aren’t really surprising to me since they are an extension of our clinical and research focus and support all of our previous research.”