Balloons often only come out when it's time to celebrate.
And if you suffer from lower back pain, one of the most common complaints I receive, then you soon could be pulling out a balloon for more reasons than one!
According to a recent paper (1) titled "the value of blowing up a balloon", doing so in a particular way may help in reducing the common complaint.
It details one of the most promising exercises for lower back pain that might just work or you!
LOWER BACK PAIN
Most people reading this are consistently involved in some form of exercise.
Exercise increases respiratory demand and all round body movement, thus increasing the demand for stabilisation (2,3).
Trying to stay stable isn't easy and a factor of poor posture is lower back pain (4).
Lower back pain is that which occurs "between the 12th rib and the gluteal fold" (1), with lower left back pain certainly one of the biggest issues.
Amazingly, in the athletic population, lower back pain is one of the most common reasons for professional athletes missing games (5).
They try to recover with a variety of lower back pain exercises, some work, some don't.
Furthermore to the athletic population, the incidence of the problem has been recorded as high as 30%, with the issue continuing on for years in many cases (6).
But whether you're an American footballer on the big bucks, or even just a weekend warrior, the point is a lot of us suffer from it.
But the good news is - there may an answer to the common question: how do you get rid of lower back pain?
THE SOLUTION - WHAT IT IS AND HOW TO DO IT
The authors of this paper designed a movement called the 90/90 Bridge with Ball and Balloon technique, in order to "optimize breathing and enhance both posture and stability in order to improve function and/or decrease pain."
They add that this exercise was designed to help restore the spine to a proper position and to give the diaphragm its best chance at its respiratory and postural roles.
The movement is done by getting into this position (seen below) with a 4-6 inch ball between your knees and hips bent at a 90 degree angle.
With your right arm above your head, hold onto the balloon with one hand and inhale through your nose for about 3-4 seconds at about 75% of maximum, with your tongue on the roof of your mouth.
Then exhale for about 5-8 seconds followed by a 2-3 second pause.
The researchers state that ideally, you’ll eventually be able to inhale again without pinching off the balloon in anyway.
Subjects who have been given this exercise as part of their home program claim improved function and less pain, in both published and unpublished cases.
One female (7) suffered from right lower back pain and sciatica (pain that runs along the path of the sciatic nerve — branching from the lower back through the hips and buttocks and down both legs).
After being given this exercise, her pain level went from 9/10 to 0/10!
Also, a story in the Omaha World Herald, the local newspaper in the largest city in the state of Nebraska in the US, sheds some more interesting light.
It talks about how the University of Nebraska Women's volleyball team took to blowing up balloons also, to alleviate their back and neck tension (7).
CONCLUSION
Whilst there is plenty of anectodal evidence out there too pertaining to this method, it seems at the very least this is one of the best exercises to help lower back pain.
You can add this exercise to your list of lower back pain stretches, and it might help you allieviate you grief!
The authors of this paper note:
"Despite the Balloon Blowing Exercise's use for a variety of patient populations, there is little data published on the efficacy of such an exercise."
The authors add that future studies should aim to investigate this technique's ability to alleviate lower back pain, but do label it as a "promising" exercise.
Time will tell whether or not scientific data can back it up, however one thing's for sure, if you'd like a potentially quick fix solution pertaining to how to fix lower back pain - there's certainly no harm in giving this a crack!
"Stay Fit, Stay Flexed!"
REFERENCES
(1) Boyle KL, Olinick J, Lewis C. The value of blowing up a balloon. N Am J Sports Phys Ther. Sep 2010; 5(3): 179–188.
(2) Hodges PW, Butler JE, McKenzie DK, et al. Contraction of the human diaphragm during rapid postural adjustments. J Phys. 1997;505(2):539–48
(3) Grimby G. Respiration in exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1969;1(1):9–14
(4) Perri M. Pain and Faulty Breathing: A Pilot Study. J of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. 2004;8:297–306
Author
Dayne Hudson