- Make It Yourself Lavender Heart-Shaped Bath Bombs!
- 20 Things You Never Knew About “Down There”
- 12 Best Foods For Those Suffering From Arthritis Pain
- 12 Personal Hygiene Mistakes Almost Everyone Makes (Mom Never Told You About #4!)
- 15 Medicinal Plants And Herbs From The Cherokee People
- 12 Mind-Blowing Benefits Of Drinking Coconut Water During Pregnancy
- 12 Outstanding Winter Foods That Won’t Fatten You Up Like A Christmas Turkey
Exercises To Free You From Back Pain
Photo credit: bigstock.com
Exercises for Back Pain
We’ve established that sitting is the primarily culprit as far as back pain is concerned. So what do we do about it?
The answer is physical activity.
What type of exercise is right for you will depend on your specific physiology, health conditions, and other factors that can’t be ascertained through an article. But the following are general guidelines about which activities can benefit those suffering from back pain. Talk with a personal trainer, chiropractor, or physician about which ones are right for you.
- Yoga – all forms of yoga have seen a surge of popularity in recent years. Yoga has been shown to have all sorts of health benefits, including lowering blood pressure and improving flexibility. But the benefit that will interest those with back pain is how yoga strengthens the core muscles. Weakness and imbalance in the lower back and abdominal muscles is the primary contributor to back pain.
- Stretching – If yoga is a little too intense for you, it may interest you to know that a recent study showed that prolonged simple stretching can be just as good for back pain. However, it’s important to make sure you are stretching in the correct manner. The wrong types of stretches could actually increase pain. Speak to a trainer in detail about your pain and he or she can help you pick the movements that are right for you.
- Tai Chi – This Chinese form of exercise can be very helpful for alleviating back pain. Tai Chi is a martial art that combines exercise and mediation. The practitioner is constantly in motion, essentially making it a sort of “moving meditation”.
- Bodyweight, Aerobic and Resistance Training – There are a variety of exercises that will strengthen the key muscle groups to help eliminate imbalances that lead to pain. Bodyweight exercises like bridging, wall sits, press-up back extensions and bird dogs will help strengthen the back muscles. Partial crunches are also good, but avoid doing full movement ones, as these can strain the back too much. Pilates and aerobic exercises like swimming can also help strengthen the core.
Weight training can be beneficial for back pain as well. It is important to use proper form when lifting weights. When the lifts are performed properly, they can be quite helpful. But if not, they could make injuries or chronic back pain worse. Ask a doctor which exercises are safe for you to perform.
The most important thing to keep in mind here is that being more active in any form will help with back pain. Just going for a walk can help, as long as it gets you off your feet.
READ ALSO: Lower Back Pain By Sport Infographic
In most cases back pain is the result of lifestyle choices. This means it is within your power to make different choices that will turn this condition around. With the exercises outlined here, you can start doing that today.
References:
Anto
Jul 4, 2016 at 8:31 pm
I was going to make a snide remark on “moving meditation”, until I came across “Just going for a walk can help, as long as it gets you off your feet.”
Most entertaining 🙂