Best Abdominal Exercises?

Traditional sit-ups were long thought to be the only way to gaining “warrior-like” abdominal muscles. In actuality, traditional sit-ups cause a tremendous loading force to the lumbar discs. The lumbar spine should not incur more than 3,300 Newtons (N) of force at one time, otherwise it is susceptible to injury. Traditional sit-ups, such as the bent knee sit-up may load the lumbar disc with 3,350 N with only one movement. A strait leg sit-up loads the discs with an astronomical 3,506 (N). These exercises may destroy your back if they are done over an extensive period of time. Better choices for core and ab strengthening are the Curl-up, Side-bridge, plank bridge, and Kettlebell swings. These movements cause only about a quarter or half the force of traditional sit-up exercises. The most important key to core and abdominal strength is to train movements and not by solely isolating the abdominal muscle.

*consult your physician before starting any workout program, this note is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a diagnosis nor does it constitute treatment of any kind. There is inherent risk to any exercise program*

By: Dr. Josh Sonsiadek, Chiropractic Physician, Certified Fitness Trainer

More Bad News for Smokers

This is the text of an article I sent out in 2004.

A new study published in the journal SPINE this past March [March 2004] has shown evidence that exposure to nicotine can lead to, accelerate, and/or worsen disc degeneration in the lumbar spine:

Summary of Background Data. Numerous studies confirm that smoking is a strong risk factor for back pain. The most widely accepted explanations for the association between smoking and disc degeneration is malnutrition of spinal disc cells by carboxy-hemoglobin-induced anoxia or vascular disease. Nicotine, a constituent of tobacco smoke, present in most body fluids of smokers is known to have detrimental effects on a variety of tissues. It may also be directly responsible for intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration by causing cell damage in both the nucleus pulposus and anulus fibrosus. The effect of nicotine on IVD cells has not previously been investigated.

Conclusions: Nicotine has an overall detrimental effect on NP disc cells cultured in vitro. There was significant inhibition of cell proliferation and extracellular matrix synthesis. Nicotine in tobacco smoke may have a role in pathogenesis of disc degeneration.