Low Back Pain Prevention on the Power Plate Machine

Lower back pain is a major problem plaguing the adult population. Whether it is an athlete or a sedentary office worker; this type of musculoskeletal degeneration affects 80% of adults.

So how do we address this problem? Injury prevention and corrective exercise? You got it!

The Power Plate machine causes 30-40 involuntary muscle actions (contraction and relaxation) per second! So if we implement the proper exercises and technique, we can take advantage of this high volume of muscle activity. In an accelerated fashion, we can inhibit muscles that are overactive, lengthen and increase the extensibility of short muscles, reeducate and activate underactive muscles, and finally use integration exercises to create synergy among all of the muscles throughout the kinetic chain.

Below you will find a corrective exercise program for the prevention of lower back pain.  My main goals for this client are to relax the muscles associated with the hip flexor complex, lengthen the often tight and short latissimus dorsi, activate the core and glute complex, and finally, restore some synergy among this musculature with lateral tube walking.

One more thing: Massage! We cannot end a Power Plate machine workout without massage! This is one of the best “cool downs” you can perform. It causes an increase in circulation, which nearly doubles the blood volume within the muscle! This will rid your body of toxins and bring in the nutrients. Your client will leave feeling great and eager to come back for more!

Here are just a few exercises I may include to accomplish these goals.

Inhibit and Lengthen:
Self-Myofacial Release with a foam roller first and then
Static Stretching using Power Plate Machine
Settings: 1-2 sets, 30 Hz, 30 seconds, Low Amplitude

Static Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch

Static Kneeling Double Arm Lat stretch








Activate and Integrate:
Perform as a Circuit using Power Plate Machine
Settings: 2 sets, 30 Hz, 45 seconds, Low amplitude

Static Quadruped Opposite arm/leg raise

Static Glute Bridge with Resistance

Dynamic Lateral Tube Walk- Back and Forth

 








(Model- Dr. Moses Bernard of Vibe Fit Club Tampa, FL)

This article is brought to you from Brett Grossman B.A., NASM-CPT, CES, PES, Power Plate North America Training Manager, Eastern Territory.