Tl;dr

Yoga and Pilates are often talked about as though they are treatments for lower back pain. But before asking whether either can help your back, it’s worth understanding what they actually are.

Traditional yoga was centred around stillness and meditation, while modern yoga developed into a much more physical practice. Pilates was developed as an exercise system by Joseph Pilates. Both involve principles such as controlled movement, breathing and postural awareness, but neither should automatically be considered a medical treatment for lower back pain.

Is yoga really an ancient form of exercise?

When most people think about yoga today, they probably picture movement, stretching and different physical poses.

But there is an important distinction between traditional yoga and modern yoga. Traditional yoga wasn't primarily about movement or stretching. It was centred around stillness and meditation.

The word asana, for example, is associated today with the different postures u...

Back extensions are often discussed online as if they are a solution for lower back pain, so I wanted to look at their value from the perspective of a well-renowned coach: Charles Poliquin.

Poliquin was a well-known strength coach who worked with elite and Olympic-level athletes, which is why he is frequently referenced by online influencers and fitness professionals.

Interestingly Poliquin didn’t view back extensions as a miracle exercise and he didn’t present them as a guaranteed fix for lower back problems – unlike some of those quoting him. Instead he viewed back extensions primarily as a strength training tool.

This distinction is important because exercises are often taken out of context online. An exercise that has a place in strength training does not automatically mean it is the best choice for managing pain or rehabilitation. And in fact, it is just one tool among many.

What does a back extension involve?

The type of back extension discussed by Poliquin is typically per...

Tl;dr

Walking works for lower back pain because it’s accessible, low-risk, and easy to scale. Research suggests that walking more is more beneficial than walking faster, especially in the early stages. And you don’t need long walks in one go. Short, regular walks built into your day can add up and make a meaningful difference. Nevertheless, walking is not a quick fix and should be used as part of a broader approach to managing lower back pain.

Why is walking recommended for lower back pain?

Walking is often included as part of a lower back pain treatment plan, but it’s important to understand that it’s just one piece of the puzzle, not the entire solution.

What makes walking useful is how simple and accessible it is. Most people are already doing some level of walking in their daily lives, which means it doesn’t require learning a new skill or committing to a structured gym routine.

It’s also low risk. The load placed on the joints is relatively small compared to other fo...

Tl;dr

Your spine needs two types of stability to stay healthy: static stability, which holds the vertebrae in place and dynamic stability, which allows smooth movement while keeping your core and hips working correctly.

Rebuilding both is key for managing low back pain, improving posture, and moving more effectively. And it’s not just about strengthening the lower back muscles.

What is static stability and why does my spine need it?

Static stability is your spine’s ability to stay in place.

The five lumbar vertebrae have no bony structures holding them together, so the muscles and fascia around them have to do that job.

Key contributors to static stability include quadratus lumborum (QL) and psoas, the thoracolumbar fascia, which connects to spinal processes and other muscles, bringing in the longissimus, iliocostalis, and latissimus dorsi. Plus the glute muscles, which stabilise the pelvis from underneath.

These muscles hold your spine steady even when you’re not moving, ...

Is spinal flexion really causing low back pain? | The truth about bending your back

Tl:dr Is bending bad for my back?

Spinal flexion (bending forward) on its own isn’t inherently harmful.

The risk of low back pain flares when flexion is combined with heavy loads, high repetition, or a history of back pain. If flexion triggers your pain, it’s helpful to minimize it and modify posture or movement.

Individual assessment is key to understanding your limits and moving safely.

If you’ve ever been told that bending your spine is inherently bad for your back, it’s time to set the record straight. In the tutorial above, I broke down what spine flexion really does, when it matters, and how it relates to low back pain. All based on current research and expert guidance.

Spine flexion on its own isn’t the problem

There’s a lot of controversy around spine flexion. Bending your spine forward naturally changes how the spine and surrounding tissues are loaded, but the good news is that flex...

tl;dr Is twisting bad for your spine?

Twisting, in itself, isn’t necessarily a problem. But frequent exposure to flexed and rotated spinal positions will increase your risk, particularly under load. Especially when posture, duration, and lifting forces aren’t managed well.

Understanding your own movement patterns - through assessment rather than guesswork, gives you the information you need to make smarter decisions about how you move, work and train.

How does twisting impact your lower back?

Spinal rotation, or twisting, is a natural movement – if we think about it we probably do it numerous times during the day. And usually without incident.

But under load, twisting can become one of the most damaging mechanisms for the lower back. That’s why, in the video tutorial above I wanted to get into the science behind rotational stress and how it affects the discs, ligaments, and joints of the spine.

Drawing on research by Lehman (2019) and Coenen et al. (2013) I discuss how different ...

The McGill Big 3 exercises are often recommended for people with low back pain, but there seems to be a lot of misunderstanding about what they actually do. Some people try them expecting immediate pain relief and then feel frustrated when that doesn’t happen.

That doesn’t mean, however, that they’re not working.

That’s why, in this tutorial I spent some time talking about the real purpose of McGill’s Big 3.

What do the McGill Big 3 actually do?  

McGill’s Big 3 core exercises set out to do two essential things – I’ll talk about the first here and the second later on in the article.

The first is to activate the muscles around the core, including the posterior muscles (back of the body), the lateral muscles (sides of the torso) and the anterior muscles (front of the body)

These muscles attach to and support the five lumbar vertebrae. Unlike the upper spine, the lower back doesn’t have a rib cage to help hold everything in place, so it’s the muscles of the core that provide the sta...

When most people think about fixing their back pain, they jump straight to stretches or core exercises. But there’s one overlooked area that can make a huge difference - your hips.

That’s where an exercise called the hip aeroplane comes in. It’s perfect for improving hip mobility, stability, and balance, all of which directly affect how your lower back feels.

Why your hips matter for a healthy back

Your hips and lower back are very much connected. When your hips move well and stay strong, your lower back doesn’t have to overcompensate. But when your hips are stiff or unstable, your back ends up doing more work than it should.

And this can lead to pain.

The hip aeroplane works three key muscles that protect your back:

• Glute Max – your main powerhouse muscle in the buttocks.
• Glute Medius & Minimus – smaller muscles around the sides of your hips, that control stability and side-to-side movement.

When these muscles are strong and active, they take pressure off your spine during...

When most people think about back pain, they think about muscles, maybe their core, maybe their posture. But there’s another major player that often gets ignored, and that’s the bones.

That might sound surprising, but if you’re struggling with long-term back discomfort, understanding how your bones work, and how they change as you age, can be a game-changer for managing pain and protecting your spine in the future.

Let’s dive into how your bones develop, what happens to them over time, and how simple lifestyle changes (like the right kind of exercise) can help prevent bone loss and promote lifelong skeletal health

The life cycle of bones: how bones grow

Believe it or not, you weren’t born with "real" bones. At birth, your skeleton was mostly made of cartilage, the soft, flexible stuff you find in your nose and ears. Over time, minerals like calcium and phosphorus get laid into that cartilage, slowly turning it into hard, strong bone.

As a child and teenager, your bones were consta...

When I was a teenager, I injured my lower back.

Not in the gym. Not lifting something heavy. But playing skittles - a game, here in the UK, that’s similar to ten pin bowling.

My job was to reset the pins at the end of the alley - a repetitive task that involved bending down, again and again.

The load wasn’t heavy, but the repetitive flexion of my spine several nights a week eventually led to injury. I didn’t know what was wrong. The pain would come and go.

I wasn’t training, I didn’t have a strong back, and gym culture for teenagers wasn’t really a thing at the time.

Would having a stronger back have helped prevent this injury?

People all over social media will tell you, "Strengthen your lower back and it will fix your pain."

They’ll tell you back extensions, deadlifts, core work will all work to solve your problem.

But I’m not so sure.

I’m here to explore the idea that low back strength is not the answer. At least, not the full answer.

Let’s look at another example - this t...