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Why Not To Do Leg Lifts
by John Crisler, DO of www.AllThingsMale.com
(For more information on John Crisler, DO and AllThingsMale.com, please click on the above banner.)
IMPO leg raises (performed while lying on your back) can only hurt you. They put tremendous stress upon the lumbar section, literally thousands of pounds of force per square inch, forcing against very thin ligamentous tissue. At best, they cause hypertonicity of the iliopsoas complex, the main flexor of the thigh, which inhibits athletic ability and increases the lordotic curvature of the lumbar section (which further predisposes one to lower back injury). Finally, I have yet to hear of a legitimate positive benefit from doing this very painful exercise.
ANY leg lift movement (or swinging leg raises on the dip rack--as opposed to bringing your knees straight up into your chest) grind the anterior lip of the vertebrae together. That squeezes the disk towards the back. The Posterior Longitudinal Ligament runs right down the middle of the posterior surface of the vertebrae, to protect the spinal cord. It thus deflects the protruding disk toward the posterolateral positions. Guess what is there? The nerve roots--which is why a herniated disk is so exquisitely painful.
 If you have ever lifted the lid from a brand new jar of grape jelly, that is what a disk actually feels like (not much to it). So now add the thousands of pounds of force you actually generate when you move those big legs (especially when done ballistically), along with the unnaturally enhanced lumbar lordotic curvature they induce, and you have a recipe for disaster. The annulus fibrosis—the ligamentous tissue encircling and protecting the nucleus of the disk—can only hold so much pressure.
Many trainees have told me they first began having LBP (Lower Back Pain), coincidentally, at about the same time they began doing leg lifts. I have also fielded numerous report of attenuation, or complete elimination, of LBP once leg lifts were discontinued. My twenty five years of assisting others with their training, analysis of the form and function of the body during Osteopathic medical training (including countless hours in the Cadaver Lab), as well as personal experience, tells me the above is no coincidence.
Doing knee raises from a dip bar position, however, works the abs in a similar manner, while avoiding the risk of injury—as long as you perform them by lifting your knees straight up while bending your knees (as opposed to straight leg raises). An easy way to analyze the movement for safety is to check the direction of the force vector at the heel. If it is pointing in a predominantly posterior direction, you are damaging your lower back.
Conventional (performed while lying on the back) leg lifts are an exercise which have no benefit, but presents tremendous risk of injury. Plus they, well, suck. Have you ever heard a sane individual say they actually enjoyed doing them?
Many will say they have been doing leg lifts for years, with no problem. I then tell them that 60% of the people who have a herniated disk don't know it (yet!).
For my Orthopedic Surgeon friends: sorry to “cut into” your business.
Copyright John Crisler, DO 2004. This article may, in its entirety or in part, be reprinted and republished without permission, provided that credit be given to its author, with copyright notice and www.AllThingsMale.com clearly displayed as source. Written permission from Dr. Crisler is required for all other uses.
Dr. John Crisler may be reached at:
DoctorJohn@AllThingsMale.com
* Article by John Crisler, DO of www.AllThingsMale.com.
* Back to This Issue's Frontpage
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