WHY DOES BENDING FORWARD HURT?

It's easy to understand that a weak muscle will start to ache fastest when it is working very hard. It's also fairly obvious that a tired and sore muscle (not necessarily the same thing as a weak muscle) will also 'groan' when asked to work hard.

So when are your low back muscles working hardest? Here's a good rule of thumb- grading the work of the muscle LOW, MED and HIGH ..

1. When you are lying down - LOW

2. When you are standing - MED

3. When you are walking - LOW to MED

4. When you are fully bent forward (i.e. fingertips nearest floor) - LOW

5. When you are half bent forward - HIGH

The diagram above shows number 5. quite clearly. This is the classic washing up, cleaning your teeth, leaning over a cot, or washing the car type position. Lumbar spine muscles, even in a healthy spine, can only sustain this position for so long before aching.

If you have a back problem, this is a risky position to maintain - so take care.

That's why wearing a back support belt can help in this case, as the workload of holding you in this position is partly shifted from back muscles to the front and to the bony pelvis.

(Note that if you are holding onto something, such as when mowing the lawn, the position is not quite so bad for your back muscles as they are supported to some extent by your arms).