You ever see any babies or toddlers with back pain?  You usually won’t see a kid walking around holding his lower back in pain.  Of course not, back pain is just supposed to be something that most people get as they get ‘older’. 

And while some studies say upwards of 90% of people will experience back pain at some point, those staggering numbers does not make back pain normal.  Common - yes.  Normal - absolutely not.

It seems funny to compare your back pain to a toddler’s lack of pain, but the majority of us developed the same way.  Earning our ability to move by following the developmental stages of movement.  First, we breathed.  Then, we rolled.  Then, we crawled.  Then, we got up onto a knee and tried to stand.  We failed, and we tried again until we were able to get it.  Then we finally started to walk and learn to pick things up.

These movements were not just given to us, watch any kid learning how to move and you’ll see how much they have to earn it.  Unfortunately for most of us, we’ve lost our ability - we’ve lost our right - to move.  We need to go back to the basics to earn it.

 Most of us sit for years and years in school, at our job, in the car, on the couch which all affect our ability to move.  Then realizing the need to ‘get back in shape’, we jump right back into lifting, running, or some type of exercise routine.  The only problem is, we’ve forgotten how to move correctly.

The good news is, there is a roadmap we followed as kids that can get us back on track and back out of pain.  One of the keys to this roadmap is the ability to crawl.  When was the last time you got on the ground and moved around?   While it can be awkward to start, you’ll soon find out how hard of an activity it is on your arms, your legs, and your core.  You’ll soon make sense of why you don’t see many kids in pain.

Not sure where to start?  Check out some of the videos of our favorite crawling variations below.  You’re not doing sets or reps, you’re just relearning how to move.  You’re earning the right to move, to lift, and to be active again.  Try spending 5 minutes per day on the ground, playing around with some different variations.  Yes, playing.  It should be fun.  And see how your body feels after a couple weeks of doing this.  You’ll be surprised how simple and effective it can be.

Crawling Exercise - Downward Dog/Bear Crawl 

Animal Warmup - Bear Crawl

 Animal Warmup - Spiderman Crawl

Animal Warmup - Panther Crawl

Crawling Exercise - Low Crawl

Give these a try let us know if you feel a difference.  This has worked with hundreds of clients that we have worked with both locally at our performance physical therapy clinic as well as with online training athletes that we program for.

Don’t wait to live your best life, we’d love to help you reach your goals and be a part of your transformation!

Most people don’t know how to stay healthy and fit without getting hurt. At Inside Out Strength and Performance we provide a clear plan to get you in the best shape of your life, without getting injured, so that you can be active and confident that you’ll feel your best for years to come.

We help North County San Diego’s active adults and runners dealing with pain or injury get back to living a pain-free, strong, and confident life.

We are the Strength Docs who help active adults and runners live a strong, confident, and pain-free life. Fill out our contact form here to get a clear plan and get started.