Lower Back Pain Exercises

Long gone are the days when your doctor would tell you to take prolonged bed rest as a treatment for lower back pain.

These days, it is widely considered by health professionals that the more active you are, the more quickly you will recover from the majority of causes of lower back pain – in fact, a number of lower back pain exercises can actually help to relieve the pain, and treat the causes of the symptoms.

When injury occurs to the lower back, it is all too easy to do little, and rest-up. In many cases, the injury will have been caused by some kind of activity, so to treat it with exercise will not always be the first thought which occurs to many sufferers.

Lack of exercise can lead to stiffness, which in turn, can cause hesitation in movement, and ultimately, more pain. However, lower back pain exercises can actually be very effective in helping to keep you flexible, at the same time, relieving your symptoms; you just need to make sure that your exercises do not aggravate your condition.

Lower Back Pain Exercises – Keep it simple

The best way to approach any type of lower back pain exercises is to proceed with a certain amount of caution, taking it gently to start with, and taking note of your own body’s limitations. Whilst it’s important to keep active, it’s equally important not to overstretch yourself, so if you don’t feel able to do a particular exercise, then don’t do it.

The key is to start off at a gentle pace, and then increase your activity level – providing your health professional has approved it, and you feel able to. With this in mind, the type of lower back pain exercises which could help to bring relief are;

Gentle aerobic exercises – such as walking or swimming are great for helping to gently work the affected area without overdoing it. In addition, any exercise carried out in the water; for example, running, walking fast or treading water can all be very beneficial to the lower back without putting any strain on it.

Try and do as many exercises as you can in the water – swimming is one of the best forms of all-round exercise you can take, and water aerobics will ensure that whole body is always gently supported.

Gentle stretching exercises – When you have back pain, you will know instinctively what exercises are going to make you feel better. For example, if you are more comfortable standing up straight, your stretching exercises will probably begin from, and bring you back to, this position. Likewise, if you are more comfortable lying or sitting down.

However limited your movement is when you begin your lower back pain exercises, eventually, you should become flexible enough to progress to positions that you would not have felt able to achieve before. For example, if you’re comfortable sitting in a chair, you may begin by simply sitting up as straight as you can. This may not sound like much of an exercise, but it will gently stretch your spine. After a while, you will feel able to stretch your spine right out, as much as possible, by lifting your arms above your head and reaching up as far as you can. Take your time though – there’s no rush!

As important as it is to keep active, it’s equally important to remember that many exercises can do more harm than good if you are experiencing lower back pain. For example, the following activities should be avoided;

Any exercise which involves;

* Running, jumping, or landing heavily on your feet, all of which can cause the lower back are to become jolted
* Touching your toes
* Sit ups – from a lying down position
* Leg lifts – from a lying down position
* Lifting weights
* Sharp twisting movements

If he feels it’s appropriate, your doctor may refer to you to a physical therapist who will be able to put together a personalized program of lower back pain exercises for you, as well as guiding you through them.

Lower back pain can get you down, but regular, gentle exercise really can help to ease the symptoms.

NOTE : It is important to consult a health professional before embarking on any type of exercise regime if you are suffering from lower back pain. Talk to your doctor prior to beginning any exercises to ensure that the program you are following will not aggravate your symptoms.

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