Back Strengthening Exercises for Low Back Pain

The modern world is full of physical and emotional stress. Lower back pain, a common complaint, is often the result. We are usually steered toward drugs instead of trying the simple solution to most stress induced back pain – back strengthening exercises.

Back strengthening exercises provide more benefits and relief from back pain than medications. Meds keep you from toning those weakened muscles, making your problems even worse.

A Norwegian study of chiropractic patients gave unexpected results. While 80% of patients with LBP are satisfied with short term with chiropractic management of lower back pain treatment, this percentage dropped dramatically over time  This shows that chiropractors need to spend more effort on rehabilitation and continuing care to prevent re-occurrence of LBP.

In contrast, many have banished back pain by engaging in regular, low-impact exercise programs. Some of these simple, basic back strengthening exercises are described below.

Back Strengthening Exercise No. 1

Lie flat on your back on a mat placed on the floor. Place an exercise ball that under your knees. Keep your back in contact with the floor as you pull your abdominal muscles inward. Hold this position for about five seconds. Do not arch your lower back area but try to press it into the floor. Keep your hands at the side while you do this. Repeat this exercise about four or five times.

Back Strengthening Exercise No. 2 (Hands and Knees Balance)

Kneel on the floor with your weight distributed on both hands and knees, and hands shoulder width apart. Pull in your abdomen toward the spine to squeeze your abs. Try not to arch your spine. Raise your left arm straight ahead of you as you extend your right leg backwards. Hold this position for two seconds or as long as possible. Return to  the kneeling position and repeat, using the other hand and leg. Repeat this exercise four times, once on each side.

Back Strengthening Exercise No. 4 (Forward Lunge)

Stand straight, feet together, place your hands on your hips, and gently contract the abs. Step forward with your right foot. Your right knee should assume a 90 degree angle, and your left leg should be bent slightly at the knee. Return to the starting position without any pause. Repeat this process with the other leg. Perform about ten repetitions for each side.

Back Strengthening Exercise No. 4

Stand up straight, feet angled away from each other, arms at your side. Raise your right arm over your head and bend your body leftward. Stay in the position for ten seconds of so, and slowly return to the starting position. Perform the same exercise for your other size. Repeat ten times on each side.

Back Strengthening Exercise No. 5

Lie down with your back flat against the floor. Lift your right leg and cross it over to place it on your left knee. Using your left hand, pull your raised knee toward the floor for as far as you can stretch it. Stay in this position for at least ten seconds. Repeat this routine with the other leg. Perform this exercise five times on each side.

Back Strengthening Exercise No. 6

Lie face down with your stomach pressed on the floor. Reach your arms above your head and hold them straight. Inhale and lift your arms and head off the floor. Hold this position for two seconds and return slowly to the starting position. Repeat this routine at least ten times.

These lower back stretches will strengthen your back muscles and provide you with fast and long lasting relief from back pain.

Low back pain exercises

Low back pain exercises help you relieve your back pains. Most lower back pains are caused either from muscle injuries or strains, and these strained muscles may pinch nerves.

Many nerve-related low back pains are the result of displaced muscles pinching nerves.

Proper exercise can help strengthen and reinvigorate your muscles and relieve your pains. Bad posture can aggravate sciatica and other causes of back pain. The combination of correct exercising and posture corrections will help you relieve your low back pains.

Low back pain pain exercises need to be smooth and gentle, with lots of stretching and relaxing and no sudden or forceful movements.

Sudden, forceful movements can re-injure tender muscle. Yoga and Tai Chi are two forms of full-body, shock-free exercise that strengthen and correct muscles and improve flexibility without undue strain. Both of these are good places to start a pain-relief exercise regimen. All that is needed to start Yoga or Tai Chi is an inexpensive floor mat.

Pilates can help improve the flexibility and the strength of the back muscles. It is more strenuous than Yoga and should be approached carefully and only after you have started strengthening your muscles.  Correct body alignment is very important. The correct alignment gives  the best results from Pilates exercise and is also necessary to prevent injury.

This optimal alignment starts with positioning the hips, spine, ribs, shoulders and head in a natural alignment with each other. You are then able to use  the stabilizing muscles to maintain that correct alignment while exercising. ‘Correct alignment’ also  limits the range of motion of the extremities to prevent pushing or pulling the joints to a point where the ligaments and connective tissue might be strained. To achieve this correct alignment, you need to correct the basic cause for you blow back pain through less forceful exercises.

Two other low back pain exercises that are available to most everyone are walking or swimming. These strengthen the muscles that support the back without putting any strain on it or subjecting it to a sudden jolt.

Low-impact exercises like these can prevent and reduce the symptoms of sciatica, one of the common causes of lower back pain.

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