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To answer the question about
whether hyperextension exercises in a roman chair are appropriate as part
First, let me provide some background information about your spinal rehabilitation program
the topic. Then I will describe the muscle control problems that arise
with back pain. Next we need to set goals for rehabilitation and
Determine the specific training requirements to achieve those goals. And finally, I will describe the inherent problems of traditional Roman chairs, followed by a solution.
muscle control during
optimal health
Research has shown that there are two types of muscles: Superficial
strength musclesand deep stabilizing muscles. Everyone has their own
unique characteristics.
Think of them superficial
strength muscles as “sprinter type” muscles. These muscles contain the same thing
Type of muscle fibers that are highly developed in Olympic’s legs
Sprinter. They’re great for generating speed during a 100m sprint, but poorly
for endurance during a marathon. In contrast, the deep stabilizing muscles
are more “marathon-like” muscles (superior for endurance, but bad for
Speed).
In healthy people it is
primary role of superficial power muscles of the lower back and
Abdominal is to move the upper body. (Torso is defined as: The human body only
head, neck and limbs. This part of the body is also known as the torso.
So these muscles move the ribcage, the lumbar spine, and the pelvis.) They do that too
responsible for controlling trunk posture during high-level activities. This
Activities may include: lifting, pushing, pulling, jumping, running, and others
ballistic (rapid) movements of the limbs.
In contrast, the deep
stabilizing muscles of the back and the stomach serve for the continuous supply
Postural adjustments of the upper body throughout the day during low-level exercise
Activities. Some examples of low-level activities are: sitting, standing,
moving from a seated to a standing position, walking, and slowly (non-ballistic)
movements of the limbs.
Muscle control problems that occur with back pain
The brain’s strategy for maintaining trunk posture after back pain
Changes to a simplified sub-strategy. First the deeply stabilizing
muscles stop working properly. Second the superficial power muscles
of the trunk become overactive and their muscle fibers shorten to the point of constriction
trunk range of motion.
This overactivity/shortening
Answer is recognized by experts as the brain’s attempt to “lock up” and
Protect the painful segments of the upper body during the acute phase of the injury.
This compensation pattern typically continues after it is no longer required
during the chronic phase of back pain (when the injured soft tissue structures
are healed).
The strategy of use
“Sprinter type” muscles to try and maintain core posture throughout the day
like forcing an Olympic sprinter to compete in a marathon instead of the 100
meter line. Obviously, the sprinter’s muscles are built for speed, not
Persistence. At the very least, this strategy would not be very efficient.
But other problems arise secondary to muscle fatigue and subsequent muscle gain
Spasms leading to disc and joint compression.
Goals for Rehabilitation &
Specific Training Requirements
Just as the goals and specific training requirements are different for sprinters
than with marathon runners, there are also big differences in goals and
specific training requirements for a rehabilitation program versus a core
fitness routine.
In rehabilitation one of ours
Goals would be to release that superficial power muscles. (Keep this in mind
that they “locked up” the injured region of the spine.) This is
achieved by focusing on slow, pain-free, low-impact movement patterns
extension of superficial power muscles relaxed at the same time. That is
something I describe to my patients as a relaxed muscle relief exercise
(not to be confused with a muscle stretch Exercise).
Although it’s true that we need to stretch the fascia and related non-contractile ones
tissue, it is important to realize that the muscles need to be relaxed when doing this
relaxed. This is required to reset the muscle spindles like this
Check the target resting tone and muscle length.
The idea of a relaxed
muscle relief Exercise is definitely a mindset change. What it means
is that typical hyperextension exercises performed on a roman chair bench are
not suitable for the initial phase of rehabilitation for chronic back pain.
If the superficial power muscles the back and abdominal wall
are overactive (too much contraction) and the muscle fibers are up to shortened
If you limit the range of motion of the trunk, then “strengthening” exercises would not be the right thing
correct type of exercise for rehabilitation.
Our next goal would be retraining deep stabilizing muscles in your
Role as primary core stabilizers in low-level activities. That is
difficult to achieve in a person with chronic back pain since the superficial
strength muscles attempt to fill this role through over-contracting and
Shortening to the point of restricting movement in the previously injured region of the trunk.
Hence an aggressive exercise with a Roman chair emphasizing that
superficial power muscles of the upper body and hips can neglect activation
the deep stabilizing muscles appropriate. A more specific workout
approach required.
one thing important deep
stabilizing muscle of the back is called lumbar multifidus.
This muscle inserts at each segment of the lumbar spine down to the sacrum
Pool. The specific workout I recommend on a back trainer
there is a slow, low-impact extension movement that occurs at each vertebra
Keep the lower back curve in a locked position as you move through
the hips. This exercise should be easy enough to do 30 repetitions
without fatigue.
The problem and the
solution
The specific training requirements for lumbar multifidus rehabilitation are not
likely to be accomplished as part of a home exercise program on a traditional Roman
Hyper extension bench chair. The design of the traditional 90 degree exercise
Winkel is too difficult and not properly designed to promote the specific
Training requirements of spinal rehabilitation. This type of Roman chair will
emphasize the hamstrings, buttocks and superficial power muscles from
the lower back. It is also likely that the workout is on the 45 degree exercise
Winkel will be too difficult and not specific enough.
Fortunately has a solution
developed, which can be described as a hybrid of the Roman chair Hyper
extension bank. It’s called the Kettler Medic back trainer
(Made in Germany). The Back Trainer Medic was developed to ensure this
correct movement patterns, i.e. the individual segments of the lumbar multifidus
appropriately trained. The torso pad is curved and the height of the pad
is adjustable so that it guides the user through proper upper body movement
spinal rehabilitation.
The specific exercises I
Show my patients how to perform on the Medic back trainer and complete both of the goals I have
addressed earlier in this article: First, releasing the superficial strength
muscles the back (through relaxed muscle relaxation exercises) and second
retraining the deep stabilizing muscle of the back, called the lumbar spine
multifidus (via a slow, low-impact stretch on each
Whirl). The concrete exercises are also demonstrated on a DVD video so my
Patients can view it at home for additional guidance.
The Medic back trainer has six levels of difficulty. The easiest level is
Easier to perform than the 45-degree roman chair practice angle, it is
more suitable for the initial phase of spinal rehabilitation. This
allows the user to advance to higher difficulty levels during the lumbar spine
multifidus muscles adapt by improving motor control and increasing in size.
Another benefit is that this machine virtually eliminates hamstrings
the exercise so that your efforts are more focused on the training
lumbar multifidus muscles.
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