I have a question regarding lower back pain and flip turns. I've had lower back pain off and on for about two years now. I'm no spring chicken being 50yrs old. I primarily swim front crawl and do flip turns. My doctor has suggested that doing flip turns is not helping my back condition. I never have any pain when do flip turns but my back does seem to be a little sore later in the day after my workout.
I've experimented with not doing the flip turns and really can't notice much difference with my overall back pain. I'm very careful about how I do my flip turns (slower and knees tucked in).
Are flip turns bad for your lower back?
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Former Member
Originally posted by tulclark
Are flip turns bad for your lower back?
In a word: Yes.
They are especially bad if you have the same progressive injury that I do -- bulging disc. As my chiropractor would tell me, flexion is the enemy. An activity that involves curling the back (such as a flip turn) will exacerbate the problem.
The cure, it turns out, is doing excercises in the opposite direction, such as are done in the McKenzie Method. The antidote excercise for bulging disc is like a push-up except your hips stay on the ground, so that you extend the back and push the disc back where it belongs.
After years of back trouble and giving up flip turns, I finally got my mind right and starting doing my "McKenzies" every day. Since then my back has improved greatly. I still limit the number of flip turns I do in practice -- I mean come on, you only need one good one in a 100 LCM free! ;) I'm just glad I can do them at all!
Good luck!
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Former Member
Originally posted by tulclark
Are flip turns bad for your lower back?
In a word: Yes.
They are especially bad if you have the same progressive injury that I do -- bulging disc. As my chiropractor would tell me, flexion is the enemy. An activity that involves curling the back (such as a flip turn) will exacerbate the problem.
The cure, it turns out, is doing excercises in the opposite direction, such as are done in the McKenzie Method. The antidote excercise for bulging disc is like a push-up except your hips stay on the ground, so that you extend the back and push the disc back where it belongs.
After years of back trouble and giving up flip turns, I finally got my mind right and starting doing my "McKenzies" every day. Since then my back has improved greatly. I still limit the number of flip turns I do in practice -- I mean come on, you only need one good one in a 100 LCM free! ;) I'm just glad I can do them at all!
Good luck!
