Letting back pain stop you from doing the activities you
most enjoy is no way to live. In truth, adding exercise to your daily routine
will actually discourage back pain since it strengthens the core muscles of the
body. Exercise for back pain could essentially prevent your back from ever
hurting again.
Exercising regularly along with living a healthy lifestyle
can possibly counteract some of the harm that produces back pain. Negative
factors such as smoking, poor muscle tone, excess weight, and a sedentary
lifestyle all contribute to a weak back and chronic pain.
There are many exercises and activities that you can
integrate into your daily exercise routine that will keep you fit and healthy
while still offering protection for your back and provide relief from tension
at the same time. Keep in mind to always properly warm up and take it slow when
introducing a new exercise to your body. Here are a few ideas:
- Use an Exercise Ball
Several people find that performing exercises with an
exercise ball is an effective tool when it comes to training the core muscles
of the body. Exercising your upper body parts with free weights while sitting
on an exercise ball is a wonderful option. The innate unsteadiness of sitting
on the exercise ball stimulates more muscle tissue.
- Low Impact Activities and Sports
Try to do activities and sports that present a low risk
factor of injury or impact and do not jerk the back. These may include
elliptical trainers, biking, swimming, or simply walking.
It's not critical to avoid exercise altogether if you have
back pain. However, you should be aware that certain sports or activities are
not safe to perform once your back has already been hurt.
- High Impact Sports
Try to avoid any sports that may induce stress or cause an
unexpected blow to your back. Any sports that involve jumping or twisting such
as football, snow-based sports, soccer, weight lifting, or volleyball should be
avoided - at least for now. Other activities that may jerk the back such as
trampoline jumping or rollerblading should be put on hold as well.
- Certain Stretches
Do not perform any stretches and/or exercises that require
you to raise your legs while keeping them straight, arching your back, twisting
your hips, or touching your toes. Also, avoid sit-ups or crunches since they
put a significant amount of strain on the back.
Be fully aware of what your body is telling you and listen
to it. You should feel good both inside and out after exercising if done
correctly. That's not to say you won't be somewhat tired and sore. However, if
you are not able to stand up straight, sleep well at night, or must alter the
way you sit or stand; you've done too much and overdid it. Over-exercising may
essentially be counterproductive to not only your back, but to your overall
health.
The best way to figure out if your pain stems from a good
workout or from overdoing it, is whether or not you are still hurting while
resting. It's typical for vigorously exercised muscle tissue to feel somewhat
stiff and sore; however, this should disappear within a couple of days. If it
doesn't, it's likely you went a bit overboard in terms of exercising.
In the long run, exercise for back pain will improve the
integrity of your core muscles along with your general health. Assess your
current condition, make a plan, and get started today.
