Are you having back problems that are slowing down your exercise routine? Are you afraid your back pain will get worse if you exercise? Have you been told to just rest or take it easy due to your low back pain, but you still need to be able to take care of your household tasks?
Here are two easy ways to prevent or limit back pain while you're exercising or keeping active.
Tip #1: Work on tightening your stomach muscles, especially while you are lifting or performing a body movement, to decrease stress on the low back.
You can even think about strengthening your abdominals or stomach muscles while you are standing or sitting to lessen the pressure on your back. Think of tightening or squeezing your stomach muscles, without holding your breath - your natural tendency might be to hold your breath while tightening the stomach muscles, however, this can increase your blood pressure as well as make you lightheaded. So, working on coordinating your breathing while you hold your stomach muscles tight is the key.
A simple exercise for strengthening your stomach muscles can be done while you are lying on your back or sitting against a supportive surface, think about pulling your belly button in towards your spine (remember NOT to hold your breath :-), hold for 3-5 seconds repeat 8-12 times, every other day. Once you get the hang of this exercise, you can perform this tightening of your stomach while performing other tasks to take pressure off of your lower back.
Tip #2: Engage your pelvic floor. Have you ever heard of Kegel exercises? If you have not heard of Kegel exercises, an easy way to think of the action is to picture yourself driving on the highway, there's nowhere to go to the bathroom, and you have to hold your urine. This action is engaging your pelvic floor.
To get the most benefit, try to combine both tightening your abdominal muscles and your stomach while you engage your pelvic floor at the same time.
The main reason we want to improve our core muscle strength is to take pressure off of the other structures that make up the low back (bones, nerves, discs, and ligaments, etc.). Let’s talk about the ligaments since they can commonly be a contributor to lower back pain. Ligaments keep the bones in your low back in place and help support the spine. Ligaments are partially made up of elastin, which has a rubber band effect so when you bend forward it has a little bit of giving in it. However, over time if we put too much tension on the ligaments, they can stretch and not entirely recoil back.
Bad posture and improper bending forward at the back and not using our legs can perpetuate the problem. In these compromised positions, ligament tissue is regularly stretching in this area, and our ligaments start to lose their elastic properties. For example, a new rubber band can stretch fully and return to the starting position compared to an old rubber band that may not able to stretch as far without breaking due to the lack of flexibility or elasticity.
Back pain is common and can hinder our ability to have the confidence to move or to get back to being active around the house or during our routine activities. Click the video below, to access simple exercises that may help with back pain relief to improve your mobility and flexibility, so you can perform the tasks you need to do in your everyday life.
Here are 5 easy exercises for back pain relief that you can do at home to help alleviate back pain.
Back pain is highly prevalent and many people who experience back pain have a higher likelihood of having a recurrence of their back pain.
Each time the back pain starts up, it can bring on frustration, and worry about it happening every day. Unfortunately, back pain can limit an active lifestyle and create a fear of movement to avoid further injury.
If you have not already, check out our blog post, "5 Secrets To Easing Low Back Pain - Even If You've Suffered For Years!" which includes tips and strategies focused on easing low back pain and tips for back pain relief that I have come across most often while helping older adults keep active so they can continue to perform the necessary household tasks to help maintain their independence.
If you are looking to get to the root of your back pain issues or wondering what are the best exercises for back pain and live in Waukesha, Brookfield, New Berlin, Pewaukee, Delafield, Hartland, Oconomowoc, Greenfield, New Berlin, Muskego, Wales, Greendale, Franklin, Oak Creek, Whitefish Bay, Racine, Kenosha or in surrounding Greater Milwaukee communities, complete this quick form to set up your FREE 20-minute call ($75 value) with one of our leading in-home physical therapy back pain specialists to discuss your current situation.
Talk more soon!!
Preston, PT
P.s. If you’re experiencing stiffness in your back which restricts your ability to move without pain, download our free back pain tips guide which includes actionable tips we give to our patients at Prestige Therapy and Wellness, LLC. Click here to get your free copy!
Comentarios