153 A Christian Guide to Body Stewardship, Diet and Exercise In addition to the aforementioned causes, low back pain can also be self-induced. For example, some of the common agitators of low back pain include prolonged sitting / standing, certain sleeping positions and poor posture. Keeping the spine in a flexed or overextended position for a prolonged period of time can lead to or exacerbate low back pain. Figure 7.12 depicts the proper and improper body position for various daily activities. Figure 7.12. Proper and Improper Posture for Various Daily Activities In addition to activities susceptible to poor posture, certain strength training exercises can, in some cases, also serve as an agitator for low back pain. This is especially true with exercises that directly load the spine (e.g., squat), require a bent body position (e.g., row) or use a twisting motion (e.g., Russian twist). In fact, any exercise that involves a significant amount of compression, shear or torsion force on the spine can increase the risk of damaging the intervertebral discs thereby resulting in low back pain. These risks are compounded when using heavy weight and/or the exercise is performed incorrectly. Figure 7.13 depicts the three major forces that can cause intervertebral disc damage.
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