Trump signs order so only Americans vote in US elections — gets blocked in court
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Thursday blocked a portion of President Donald Trump’s executive order on election integrity, specifically provisions related to providing documentary proof of citizenship before being allowed to register to vote.
Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia handed down the order in response to lawsuits filed by three separate groups of plaintiffs over five different provisions in a March 25 Trump executive order relating to election integrity. While Kollar-Kotelly dismissed requests to block three of the provisions, requests to block two other provisions pertaining to a proof of citizenship requirement for voters were granted.
The first blocked provision sought to compel the Election Assistance Commission to amend standardized national voter registration forms to require documentary proof of citizenship. The second sought to require federal agencies offering voter registration to people on public assistance to “assess” the individual’s citizenship status before doing so.
CITIZENSHIP VOTER REGISTRATION BILL IS ‘COMMON SENSE,’ GOP LAWMAKER ARGUES
“Our Constitution entrusts Congress and the States — not the President — with the authority to regulate federal elections. Consistent with that allocation of power, Congress is currently debating legislation that would effect many of the changes the President purports to order,” Kollar-Kotelly, a Clinton-appointee, wrote in her order. “No statutory delegation of authority to the Executive Branch permits the President to short-circuit Congress’s deliberative process by executive order.”
Kollar-Kotelly said she would not block the other provisions that the groups sought to challenge, which cover mail-in ballots and data collection on citizenship status, calling the challenges “premature” and indicating they would be best challenged at the state level.
Earlier this month, the Republican-led House of Representatives passed a bill requiring proof-of-citizenship to vote in federal elections. The measure still must pass the Senate, however, before the president can sign it into law.
TOP OFFICIAL APPLAUDS RED STATE’S HISTORIC LEGISLATION REQUIRING PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP TO VOTE: ‘HUGE WINNERS’
Meanwhile, 25 states are considering some form of proof-of-citizenship legislation, according to the Voting Rights Lab, which is tracking such legislation. In total, 15 state constitutions have explicit prohibitions against non-citizen voting.
In addition to Trump’s proof-of-citizenship orders getting shot down, two other federal judges from Maryland and New Hampshire also shot down additional orders from the president related to ending diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in K-12 public schools on Thursday.
The rulings followed lawsuits filed by the National Education Association, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Maryland chapter of the American Federation of Teachers. The groups argued that making federal funding contingent on whether educators squash their DEI programs violates First Amendment rights granted by the Constitution.
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Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on this article but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Tim Walz tries to criticize Trump admin, immediately reminded of his own legacy
The White House hit back hard Thursday at Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s state of the state address in which Kamala Harris’ former running mate slammed President Donald Trump over his immigration policies and other “chaos.”
“It’s rich of Tim ‘Jazz Hands’ Walz to decry chaos when he let his largest city burn to the ground while his wife opened their mansion’s windows to savor the fumes,” White House deputy press secretary Harrison Fields said in a statement to Fox News Digital, referring to the Minneapolis George Floyd riots of 2020. “Walz also willingly served alongside Vice President Harris, who presided over one of the most chaotic administrations in American history.”
The former Democratic vice presidential candidate used his state of the state address on Wednesday to criticize Trump and his administration for moving to deport illegal immigrants, including suspected gang members, as well as terrorist sympathizers.
“The president has also chosen, and I stress this, chosen, to tear up the values that once made America the shining light of the world. In this land of the free and home of the brave, we have university students being swept up, shoved into unmarked vans, and fathers being tossed into Salvadorian gulags without a hint of due process,” Walz claimed.
“I want to be real clear about this. If you say you love freedom, but you don’t believe freedom is for everybody, then the thing you love isn’t freedom, it’s privilege,” the governor said, garnering a standing ovation on the Minnesota House floor.
FEDERAL JUDGE DECLARES TRUMP ADMIN BLOCKING FEDERAL MONEY TO SANCTUARY CITIES UNCONSTITUTIONAL
Walz appeared to indirectly reference the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal immigrant and suspected member of MS-13, which the administration newly designated a foreign terrorist organization. The administration admitted to mistakenly deporting Abrego Garcia to El Salvador, though Trump and federal officials have doubled down on Abrego Garcia’s alleged ties to the violent Mexican gang, as well as a domestic violence case involving his wife claiming he beat her.
Abrego Garcia was initially suspected of human smuggling during a 2022 Tennessee traffic stop but was not charged. Democrats, categorizing Abrego Garcia as a “Maryland father,” meanwhile, have traveled to El Salvador to visit him while urging the administration to comply with Supreme Court and other court orders instructing that he be returned to the U.S.
Abrego Garcia was initially held at the El Salvadoran megaprison known as the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), but he has since been transferred to the lower security Centro Industrial Penitentiary facility in Santa Ana, El Salvador. The State Department said in court filings he remains held there “in good conditions and in an excellent state of health.”
Walz also appeared to excoriate how federal immigration authorities have taken into custody foreign students whose visas were rescinded by the Trump administration for allegedly organizing anti-Israel demonstrations at U.S. college campuses.
Though Walz did not mention anyone by name, another group of House Democrats traveled to Louisiana detention facilities holding Tufts University fifth-year doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk and former Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil this week.
FEDERAL JUDGE ALLEGES ‘WILLFUL AND BAD FAITH REFUSAL’ TO COMPLY IN ABREGO GARCIA DEPORTATION CASE
The Democratic governor also took jabs at Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, claiming that the Trump administration wants to take Medicaid coverage away.
“I can’t help but point out that we also gather at a moment of great uncertainty for our nation. And let’s be honest, this uncertainty, this chaos is no accident,” Walz said. “The President of the United States has chosen, chosen to destroy the federal government’s ability to help people. He literally hired the richest man in the world to take a chainsaw to the basic services that Minnesotans rely on to build better lives. His plan leaves nobody there working to prevent the next pandemic, nobody to pick up the phone at the Social Security office, nobody making sure kids with special needs get the quality education they deserve.”
He also slammed Trump over his reciprocal tariffs policies, alleging the Republican president is out of touch with working-class Americans.
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“And on an hour by hour, day by day basis, the President of the United States has chosen, chosen to throw our economy into turmoil,” Walz said. “Global markets are teetering on the brink of collapse. Businesses across this country and here in Minnesota are already laying off employees by the thousands. Working people are paying more for basic goods, and if you haven’t checked your 401k lately, don’t do it. So let’s be very clear. None of this had to happen. When the president took office three months ago, there was no reason to throw a wrench in the works and destroy decades of work. But if you listen to anything that comes out of his mouth, one thing has become clear. He’s just plain confused about how the world really works for working people.”
Star student denied graduation over alleged religious discrimination
A star student at a Maryland high school is being denied graduation next month due to what her family says is religious discrimination.
The student, whom Fox News Digital is calling “Jane” to protect her privacy, is a senior in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), who excels academically and is actively involved in her school. According to her parents and academic records, she is a leader in multiple extracurricular activities at her school, holds a 4.76 weighted GPA and received a 1450 (96th percentile) on her SATs.
However, she cannot graduate without completing a mandatory health course, which her parents say has “LGBTQ+ affirming” and “religiously discriminatory” content they find objectionable due to their deeply held Christian faith.
Jane’s family told Fox News Digital that they have been fighting for over two years for their daughter to be granted an opt-out from the course or be allowed to take an alternative class at a private school or do independent study under a teacher of their choosing to meet this requirement, to no avail.
MARYLAND MOM TAKING FIGHT TO OPT CHILD OUT OF LGBTQ STORY BOOKS BEFORE SUPREME COURT
“She’s pretty distraught about not being able to graduate with all her friends and experience that rite of passage,” her father said.
With time running out before Jane’s senior year is complete, the parents have filed a petition to the Maryland Supreme Court asking them to review their case against the Montgomery County Board of Education (MCBE).
In August 2022, the parents learned that Jane was enrolled in a health class for her upcoming sophomore year which was required for graduation. They became aware that LGBTQ content would be incorporated throughout the year-long course, rather than limited to the Family Life and Human Sexuality unit of the course, as it had been previously.
Screenshots of alleged teacher training documents obtained by the parents and shared with Fox News Digital ask teachers to “review LGBTQ+ resources to incorporate more inclusive language” throughout the entire course.
The teacher guide also allegedly provides teachers with a list of “privileged” and “oppressed” people groups, in which it names “Christians” as privileged and “Non Abrahamic Religions/Spiritualities” as oppressed. A lesson invites teachers to have students identify people groups impacted by health inequities, such as “trans or gender-expansive,” LGBTQ+, and “people who identify with non-Christian faiths.”
MARRIAGE PROMOTES ‘WHITE SUPREMACY,’ ACCORDING TO WHITE UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR
Another document they received called “worship of the written word” asks teachers to recognize “White supremacy culture” in the classroom and at home.
Their petition before the Maryland Supreme Court states that they withdrew their daughter from the upcoming class while seeking more information about the curriculum. They claim MCPS has refused their requests to view the lesson plans or opt their daughter out of the class.
The parents suggested Jane take the health class at a local, accredited Catholic high school or through independent study supervised by a former teacher in the MCPS system with a health education background.
MCPS rejected these suggestions, saying that Jane must be taught by a current MCPS teacher or fulfill the requirement through dual enrollment in a community college course, which her parents said was not an option because it conflicted with her high school class schedule, and it still would not have provided her protection as a minor from the curriculum they are objecting to.
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After the school board denied their request, the parents appealed this administrative decision to the Circuit Court of Montgomery County in August 2024. In December, the court upheld the school board’s decision and the parents filed an appeal notice to the Appellate Court in January.
Because of the time-sensitive nature of their request, they have petitioned for a writ of certiorari to the Maryland Supreme Court while the matter remains pending before the Appellate Court.
The parents argue that MCPS was wrong to put LGBTQ+ affirming content throughout the entire health course, because this instruction was “restricted by law to the Family Life and Human Sexuality (“FLHS”) unit of the Health class, with parents having a regulatory right to opt out their child from that unit.”
“We are not trying to get MCPS to stop teaching about LGBTQ+ or change its curriculum,” the parents wrote in a letter dated March 7, 2024, to the Maryland State Board of Education. “We are trying to get MCPS to keep that teaching restricted to the Family Life and Human Sexuality part of the curriculum so we can get notice of it and opt-out our daughter, or if MCPS is allowed to spread LGBTQ+ instruction throughout the entire health class, as its teacher instruction materials say it is doing, it follows that MCPS should allow us to opt-out our daughter from the entire class. We are trying to get MCPS to refrain from discriminating against religion.”
THE SUPREME COURT APPEARS TO SIDE WITH PARENTS IN RELIGIOUS LIBERTY DISPUTE OVER STORYBOOKS
They’ve chosen not to transfer their daughter out of the district in order to fight for the rights of all religious students in the district who are being compelled to take this class to graduate and whose families cannot afford the costs, transportation and time to attend private or home school.
The parents filed a separate but related complaint against the school in March over their requests for class documents. Their complaint accuses the school board and MCPS of “knowingly and willfully” withholding public information from them in violation of the Maryland Public Information Act.
The Montgomery County Board of Education and Montgomery County Public Schools declined to comment on the pending litigation. The Maryland State Board of Education did not respond to a request for comment.
Montgomery County Public Schools is currently involved in another high-profile religious liberty case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
The case surrounds the school board removing its “opt-out” for parents challenging LGBTQ story books in the classroom.
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A coalition of Jewish, Christian and Muslim parents of school-age children have brought a lawsuit against the school board, alleging it is violating their religious freedoms protected under the First Amendment, by forcing their young children to participate in instruction contrary to their religious beliefs.
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Tuesday in the case that could set a precedent for parents’ rights in schools across the nation. The high court’s conservative majority offered strong support to parents presenting the religious liberty case.
Senior Russian military officer killed in car explosion, investigators say
A Russian general was killed Friday in a car bombing outside of Moscow, according to Russia’s top criminal investigation agency.
The Investigative Committee said that Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, a deputy head of the main operational department in the General Staff of the Russian armed forces, was killed by an explosive device placed in his car in Balashikha.
The explosive device was rigged with shrapnel, Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko said. The perpetrator of the blast is unclear.
The attack comes as White House envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow Friday for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Reuters reported, citing the Interfax news agency. The Trump administration is trying to broker a deal to end the war in Ukraine.
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It also happened following the killing of Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, who died on Dec. 17 in Moscow when a bomb hidden on an electric scooter parked outside his apartment building exploded as he left for his office.
Russian authorities blamed Ukraine for the killing of Kirillov, and Ukraine’s security agency acknowledged that it was behind that attack.
That bombing came one day after Ukrainian Security Services charged Kirillov with crimes. The explosive in that incident had the power of roughly 300 grams of TNT, according to Russian state news agency Tass.
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Kirillov was charged by Ukraine with using banned chemical weapons on the battlefield. Several countries had also placed him under sanctions for his role in the war against Ukraine, the AP reported.
What Karen Read added to her alcoholic drinks takes center stage in retrial
Sometimes, Karen Read might take things into her own hands, like when she got a “weak pour” at a bar the night her boyfriend died.
Unhappy with the alcohol level, she added extra shots on her own, according to a 2024 interview she gave for a documentary on Investigation Discovery.
The clip aired in court Thursday as part of her retrial on murder charges in the death of her boyfriend, John O’Keefe.
“The drinks that they were pouring me at McCarthy’s, which was where I consumed most of the alcohol, was the weakest vodka tonic,” she told the camera. “It tasted just like all soda water with lime, not that I need it to be a martini, but it might have a splash of vodka in it.”
KEY KAREN READ WITNESS ADMITS GRAND JURY TESTIMONY WASN’T TRUE
She said she complained about it to O’Keefe, and he suggested ordering another shot and dropping it in herself.
“So each drink was being counted as a double,” she continued. “I would get a vodka tonic, and then I would pour a shot into it.”
Read recounted drinking at CF McCarthy’s bar in Canton, where she said she drank “most of [the] alcohol” she’d consumed on Jan. 28, 2022.
Read described how she poured multiple shots into her glass because the bar was serving weak drinks, complaining her vodka soda “tasted just like all soda water with lime.”
WATCH: Karen Read recounts night of drinking at local bar in 2024 television interview
“The guys that we were with ordered a round of shots and gave me one that I didn’t drink, but I poured it in my drink,” Read said.
KAREN READ RETRIAL KICKS OFF WITH WIRE-TO-WIRE DRAMA, LAWYERS BRAWL IN TENSE HEARING AFTER JURORS SENT HOME
“So, that’s now my fifth and sixth drinks, with the seventh, which is a shot that all the men did, and I poured it. So, that’s one glass that I’m holding.” She added that the cocktail had “three drinks in it.”
Special prosecutor Hank Brennan had Massachusetts State Tpr. Nicholas Guarino read jurors a series of texts between Read and O’Keefe from throughout the day before he died.
Guarino read through both the history of phone calls between Read and O’Keefe and their texts throughout the day, beginning with that morning. O’Keefe appeared frustrated over arguments, writing that he was “sick of always arguing and fighting.”
By afternoon, the conversation turned toward early evening plans. At 2:38 p.m., Read called O’Keefe, and he rejected the call, sending it to voicemail directly rather than just letting it ring unanswered.
Ten seconds later, Read texted, “Can you pls answer??”
KAREN READ TRIAL: LEAD DETECTIVE’S WIFE SLAMS SUSPECTED COP KILLER’S MEDIA TOUR AS ‘UNRELENTING PROPAGANDA’
O’Keefe waited nearly a minute before he replied, “No Karen. Not sure why you need to announce that you’re grabbing a drink but have fun.”
She asked him to call again. He told her he was busy taking care of his niece and nephew, who were in his care after his sister and brother-in-law both died within months of each other.
“Have to take them to the [doctor],” he wrote. “He has practice.”
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She called back twice. He let the first one ring and rejected the second 44 seconds later.
For the next 20 minutes, he continued to ignore her calls before calling her back just before 3 p.m. Nine minutes later, she texted him, “Why don’t you meet me at the hillside at 4:30/5.”
KILLER OR CONVENIENT OUTSIDER? ‘UNEXPECTED CELEBRITY’ KAREN READ’S TRIAL EXPLORED IN NEW FOX NATION SERIES
After a few follow-up texts, O’Keefe replied, “Like I said, [doctor] now, and he has practice til 6. If you want to go start drinking then go for it.”
Read said she didn’t know what time practice was but that she wanted to meet him out rather than at his house to give him “space.”
After more back-and-forth, O’Keefe texted her at 3:39 p.m., “You’re like jonesing to drink. So go!”
At another point in the conversation, she indicated she’d rather meet in town “for drinks” than hang out at his house.
When O’Keefe said his friend, Mike Camerano, was coming over, he suggested Read drop by too.
“Mike doesn’t want to go out for a bit?” she replied. “I would like to, been a s— day from the jump.”
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Guarino read texts the two sent from that morning until around 8:35 p.m.
While Brennan’s case highlighted Read’s drinking, experts said jurors might side with Read over O’Keefe’s responses.
“I thought this presentation backfired in that it looked like a couple with normal issues, and it was like, she will wake up and leave this relationship where you were being used, not as a motive to murder,” said Linda Kenney Baden, a New York defense attorney whose past clients have included Phil Spector, Casey Anthony and Aaron Hernandez.
“Plus, the texts showed a jealous John O’Keefe to me, like the plumber,” she added.
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Around 8 p.m., before Read and O’Keefe met for drinks, she told him she was having a plumber stop by because her hot water had run out. He told her he would fix it Sunday or Monday.
That could support the defense theory that O’Keefe did not sustain his injuries in a collision with Read’s SUV but rather from a possible altercation with another man at the party who had shared his own romantic texts with the defendant, Kenney Baden told Fox News Digital.
Brennan played the ID clip after Guarino finished reading the texts. After that, Judge Beverly Cannone said, due to some confusion with the witnesses, the jury could go home for the day.
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They are expected to hop on a bus for an in-person viewing of the crime scene when the trial resumes Friday.
Shedeur Sanders sends defiant message after falling out of 1st round in NFL Draft
Shedeur Sanders suffered one of the most dramatic NFL Draft slides of any top quarterback prospect in recent history on Thursday night.
Sanders, who was projected by some to be the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft after the college football season, fell completely out of the first round and remains undrafted going into day two.
The former University of Colorado star admitted that he and his family “did not expect” what occurred on Thursday night, in footage posted by his brother Deion Sanders Jr. Still, the quarterback appears to be keeping a positive attitude and expects to be drafted on Friday.
“We all didn’t expect this, of course, but I feel like with God, anything possible, everything possible. I don’t feel like this happened for no reason. All of this is, of course, fuel to the fire. Under no circumstances did we all know this was going to happen, but we understand we on to bigger and better things,” the quarterback said.
“Tomorrow’s the day. We going to be happy regardless. Legendary.”
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Still, the quarterback hinted at possibly knowing that he might not get picked in the first round earlier on Thursday. Hours prior to the draft, Sanders made a social media post insisting he was prepared for whatever happened in the first round.
“I’m built for whatever today may bring,” he wrote.
What the day brought was a surprising slide for Sanders, and a dent to his father and college coach’s expectations.
NFL Hall of Famer and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders previously insisted Shedeur would be a top-five pick when he entered the draft in an X post in May 2024. That post received a community note on Thursday after Shedeur slid.
Two other quarterbacks were taken in the first round while Shedeur waited to hear his name called. The Tennessee Titans took former Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the first overall pick, and the New York Giants traded back into the first round at No. 25 to take former Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart.
Several other teams that have a need at quarterback, including the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers, also passed on Sanders.
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This happened despite the fact that Sanders led the Big 12 Conference with 4,134 passing yards and 37 touchdown passes and was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. In his 50 college games, Sanders threw for 14,347 yards, 134 touchdowns and 27 interceptions.
But his value came into question in weeks leading up to the draft amid concerns about his character.
An anonymous NFL coach recently told the NFL Network that Sanders was “the worst formal interview I’ve ever been in in my life.”
“He’s so entitled. He takes unnecessary sacks. He never plays on time. He has horrible body language. He blames teammates,” the coach continued. “But the biggest thing is he’s not that good.”
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Another longtime AFC executive echoed that sentiment, telling the outlet, “It didn’t go great in our interview. He wants to dictate what he’s going to do and what’s best for him. He makes you feel small.”
Those concerns and criticisms took their toll on the quarterback’s draft stock, as he now will have to settle for hearing his name on day two, at the earliest.
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National anthem performance before Stanley Cup playoff game sparks outrage with fans
The Los Angeles Kings hosted the Edmonton Oilers Monday for a first-round Stanley Cup playoff game, and a pregame performance became a topic of conversation.
Members of the Korea Town Senior & Community Center performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” prior to the puck drop at Crypto.com Arena. The group used harmonicas instead of singing the American national anthem.
The majority of the crowd in attendance appeared to approve of the rendition as thousands remained standing to applaud the performers.
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But some observers took to social media to voice their displeasure.
“Whoever thought this was a good idea should probably not have a job,” an X user wrote.
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“What in tarnation,” another social media account stated.
Once the game started, it was a hard-fought contest.
The Oilers tied the game late in third period, but the Kings celebrated a 6-5 victory in Game 1. Los Angeles was also victorious in Game 2.
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The third game of the series is scheduled for Friday.
Humans are not ‘designed to sit,’ surgeon says — what to do instead
In a world of sitting at desks and slumping in front of screens, back pain is known to be the most common ailment among Americans.
Dr. Arthur L. Jenkins III, a board-certified neurosurgeon in New York — who is also fellowship-trained in spinal surgery and CEO of Jenkins NeuroSpine — blamed slouching and poor posture for grave effects on the back.
Poor posture stretches the spine in a way it’s “really not designed to do,” Jenkins said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
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“We stand much better than we sit,” he said. “And we find more people having that pain when they’re working or when they’ve been sitting for a while – it’s just a terrible position for our spines.”
Risks of ‘tech neck’
“Tech neck,” or excessive forward posture, is caused by looking down at devices, including phones and laptops, the expert noted.
Being in this “suboptimal” position while sitting down for long periods of time can be damaging.
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“At night, a lot of people will [watch] TV … and their chin is tucked down,” Jenkins said. “Most people don’t put TVs on their ceilings.”
This position can lead to a condition called kyphosis, where the front of the spine is strained and extra pressure lands on the disks.
This posture also stretches and pulls on the muscles in the lower back as they are forced to “stretch out and give,” said Jenkins.
“All the muscles are designed to be at their strongest when your spine is in its optimum position,” he said. “Once you get out of the optimum position, your muscles have to work harder to maintain that.”
Tips for avoiding back pain
For those who work in front of screens all day, Jenkins recommends standing up often and stretching out the body to keep the joints “lubricated and active.”
It can help to use a standing desk, raise the computer monitor higher to promote an elevated chin and neck angle, or sit on an exercise ball instead of a desk chair, he advised.
ASK A DOCTOR: ‘IS IT DANGEROUS TO CRACK MY NECK OR BACK?’
Even while sitting on the couch, Jenkins said it’s best to sit up, avoid slouching and change positions every so often.
Isolating and flexing the back and ab muscles can also help to promote healthy muscles and ward off back pain.
“Find ways to be more mindful during the day of engaging your core,” Jenkins advised. “While you’re sitting there, squeeze your abdominal and back muscles together.”
ASK A DOCTOR: ‘HOW CAN I IMPROVE MY POSTURE?’
“Even if you don’t do a formal sit-up, if you just spend five minutes mindfully squeezing your core while you’re working, that’s better than not doing anything at all.”
Maintaining flexibility, especially with age, can also help prevent back pain.
Jenkins recommends committing to a fitness routine that “speaks to your issues” while strengthening the core and stretching the muscles, like yoga or Pilates.
Jenkins also warned people to avoid “BLT” — or bending, lifting and twisting all at once, which is a major contributor to back pain.
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“You should always try to break up your bending, lifting and twisting into individual components … You should never bend, lift and twist at the same time,” he instructed.
“When you lift, engage your core actively. Think about squeezing your core while you’re lifting anything.”
A new study out of Italy, published in the journal Healthcare, found that a kinesiology-based method can be effective in treating lower back pain.
Noting that lower back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide, the researchers introduced the Canali Postural Method (CPM) to a group of individuals for three months.
CPM, which is a personal kinesiological therapy to reprogram posture, showed promise in improving motor control and quality of life, and suggested “potential benefits for other musculoskeletal issues,” the study found.
Although the international study only included 35 participants, Jenkins said the results speak to the effectiveness of a “very structured, posture-based exercise regimen.”
“It’s pretty straightforward that more support is better,” he said.
“Kinesiology, chiropractic or just general physical therapy, or Pilates, or yoga – any of these interventions are likely to provide more support for the person’s back, and better pain relief than them trying to figure it out for themselves.”
When to see a doctor
Jenkins recommends seeing a professional if back pain persists and prevents engagement in normal activities.
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It is also best to seek medical attention if the pain does not subside after trying exercise, therapy or anti-inflammatory medications.
Any emergent signs that surface – such as severe pain, worsened balance, or impaired bladder or bowel function – should be addressed immediately by a doctor, according to Jenkins.