To permanently eliminate back pain, one should avoid generic stretches or exercises and instead conduct a personalized assessment of their movement patterns. The objective is to identify pain triggers (such as intolerance to spinal shear) in order to strengthen core stability (notably using the 'McGill 3' bracing routine and instability exercises) so that the hips can move freely without the lower back compensating.

noli's read

The emphasis on a personalized assessment and active movement is perfectly aligned with the science: global guidelines published in The Lancet (a systematic review of guidelines) confirm that adapted physical activity significantly outperforms passive therapies. Core stabilization exercises derived from the biomechanical work of researcher Stuart McGill (observational and modeling studies) are also recognized for improving back comfort. However, meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (such as that of Wáng et al., 2012) reveal that this specific bracing is not necessarily superior to other general physical activities for long-term well-being. Furthermore, the absolute necessity of maintaining a neutral spine and avoiding all flexion during daily movements is now nuanced by research, notably a systematic review by Saraceni et al. (2020) which shows no direct link between lumbar flexion and discomfort. Finally, the use of oscillating weights to precisely activate the deep spinal muscles is based on promising biomechanical theories but still lacks direct clinical evidence (expert opinion).

the sources

1. 1Wang XQ, Zheng JJ, Yu ZW, et al. 2012