Exercise Balls & Lower Back Pain

Exercise balls---also known as stability balls, Resist-a-Balls and Swiss balls---are affordable and versatile. They complement most muscle toning, flexibility and sport-specific training programs. Physical therapists also use stability balls to correct the poor postural alignment, weak core muscles, tight hip flexors and stiff back muscles that may cause lower back pain.

History

The exercise ball's history is as colorful as the balls themselves. Aquilino Cosani, an Italian toy maker, created the multi-colored balls as playthings for children. European physical therapists soon discovered the ball's therapeutic benefits. Mary Quinton, a British physical therapist working in Switzerland, used exercise balls as therapy for infants. Dr. Susan Klein-Vogelbach, a Swiss physical therapist used them with adults. American physical therapist Joanne Posner-Mayer discovered ball therapy while working at the University Orthopedic Hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark. She returned home to Colorado in 1991 and founded Ball Dynamics International.

Features

The heavy-duty inflatable balls are available with diameters ranging from 45 to 75 centimeters. Your height determines the proper ball size. The balls come with an inflation pump, but some people find that using a bicycle pump is more efficient.

Theories/Speculation

Numerous studies indicate a relationship between core activation and back pain. Physical therapist Paul Hodges of the University of Queensland published his groundbreaking research in 1999, in the Archives of Physical Rehabilitation and Medicine. He found that people who experienced low back pain failed to activate their deeper, stabilizing core muscles prior to any upper body limb movement. Hodges believed that the lack of core support destabilized the torso, which in turn caused back pain. The Hodges research inspired coaches and sports medicine experts to explore the viability of stability ball training to activate the core muscles and therefore prevent back pain.

Expert Insight

Researchers soon discovered that stability ball training does impose a balance challenge, which in turn requires core activation. An article on the IDEA Fitness website details research published in the May 2007 edition of the "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research." The researchers used electromyographic devices to test their subjects' core muscle activation during various exercises and found that these muscles were most active when subjects used balance equipment. Another "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research" study described the effects of stability ball training on spinal stability. Researcher Jacqueline M. Carter found that exercise ball training increased spinal stability in sedentary individuals. Carter believes that this type of exercise benefits inactive people with desk jobs, making them less susceptible to lower back pain.

Potential

Aside from its benefits as an exercise device, some therapists and chiropractors, such as Larry G Merritt, DC of British Columbia, believe that substituting a ball for an office chair might correct the postural problems associated with lower back pain. The ball encourages an upright postural alignment and constant core activation. Since it requires adaptation, begin with 20-minute segments.