Low back pain is a common injury among athletes and can manifest in many ways with acute to chronic conditions that sometimes last a lifetime. Dr. Heather North unpacks the common causes, symptoms and treatment and why the advice given by doctors nowadays differs so much to past practices. "We're really understanding right now is that it's important to stay active with low back pain and not be fearful of it. Really the worst thing you can do right now if you have low back pain is to do nothing, to sit there and not be active," says Heather. "We operate so much from the mindset of treating the patient symptoms that they are describing to us as opposed to going by imaging. And the reason that that is the case is because imaging doesn't always go hand in hand with what the patient is experiencing with their symptoms."  Heather explains why it's important to find a routine for your exercise that fits into your day: "Every evening before I brush my teeth and floss my teeth and get ready for bed, I pull out my exercise ball, I practice my planks, and I practice pulling my belly button in. And if you can spend 5-8 mins of that every evening you can actually prevent low back pain in the long run." 

Host: Dr. Heather North


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