Any type of back pain, especially that gnawing lower back pain can be deliberating, making you feel almost paralyzed when attempting to do certain activities.
So doing the proper exercises can offer the long term relief which you’re looking for, rather that attempting to mask it with medication.
There are millions who suffer from temporary or chronic lower back pain, and most don’t realize that the pain at times can be reduced by doing proper exercises.
Doing these exercises can pinpoint the exact and specific regions of the back, and are proven effective rather than taking doctor prescribed medication which usually just temporarily relieves the pain.
By taking pills, the real reason behind what’s causing the pain still exists. What doing proper exercises does is it strengthens the muscles which surrounds and supports the back, while also improving it’s flexibility which reduces the chances of recurrence.
Exercises For Relieving Lower Back Pain
There are three basic groups of exercises to do which includes: resistance, aerobics, and stretching exercises.
• Aerobic Exercises – Aerobic exercises can include walking or riding the bike to moderate jogging, which gets the body better conditioned. What doing so also does is it helps in strengthening the heart while working out the muscles, giving you better tone.
• Resistance Training – Resistance training exercises such as a weight lifting strengthens the muscles which supports as well as surrounds the lower back.
• Stretching Exercises – Performing the proper stretching exercises provides for better flexibility which will give your back a better range of motion.
Your fitness instructor, qualified health practitioner, or physiotherapist can usually provide and guide you on how much of each type of exercise that you should be performing.
Best Aerobic Exercise For Lower Back Pain
What lower back pain needs is focused motion, so the most effective aerobic exercises are those with low impact to not stress the area out. These exercises include, walking, swimming, and bike riding.
What doing moderate jogging, step aerobics or dance aerobics does is they’ll produce consistent impact on the back, hip joints, and the knees, strengthening these areas.
To start, begin with around 15 minutes of light aerobics on a daily basis, this 2 to 3 times per week, then gradually build up the process anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes per day, 5 times per week.
What your target should be is working hard enough to raise your heart rate up to 65% to 85% percent of your maximum heart rate based on your age.
Regardless if your walking, riding your bike, or doing other types of aerobic exercise, always make sure that you maintain good posture supporting the back.
What this means is sitting or standing up as straight as possible while avoiding any degree of slouching or leaning forward. Proper posture is absolutely essential for any exercise program.
Resistance Training For Reducing Back Pain
When it comes to resistance training, what you’re wanting to do is focus directly on the abdominal muscles. What these muscles do is play a vital role in giving your lower back the proper support.
So the stronger this area becomes, the more relief they give your lower back. These exercises should also be targeted to specifically strengthen the core muscles in the surrounding area.
It’s found that you’ll benefit the most by performing resistance training 2 to 3 times per week. A qualified fitness instructor should be able to assist you in developing a resistance program which is right for your body type and condition.
Keep in mind that resistance training is an excellent method for strengthening the targeted muscles, and know that there shouldn’t be any pain involved.
Expect however a bit of discomfort in the muscles which are being worked on while performing these exercises. The minor pain should subside soon after completing the exercise.
If the pain during or after the exercises or the discomfort does persist, then that’s a sign something may be wrong and the routine should be discontinued. Your fitness instructor should be contacted for alternate methods.
Stretching Out The Back Pain
When it comes to stretching, you should be spending up to 15 minutes of moderate stretching on a daily basis. What you want to concentrate on is properly stretching out your hamstrings, which are the muscles situated in the back of your upper legs.
The looser that your hamstring muscles become, the better range of motion that your lower back will have. What having flexible hamstring muscles does is it places less strain on that area.
You can stretch out the lower back muscles by sitting on the floor while your legs are completely flat and in front of you. Then slowly reach out with your hands towards your toes until you can’t go forward any further.
Hold this position for 10 seconds, and then sit back up straight. This is an excellent exercise for stretching out both your lower back muscles as well as your hamstrings. Repeat this 2 to 3 times each day for maximum effect.
Remain Consistent Performing These Exercises
While there’s no real miracle cure when it comes to alleviating lower back pain, you should however be able to manage it’s condition by incorporating these simple yet effective exercises into your daily routine.
It’s proven to be worth the effort since they just take thirty minutes to a hour per day, five days per week.