Bad-Back Exercises: Can They Help Back Pain

Bad-Back Exercises: Can They Help Back Pain?

Performing a few bad-back exercises can be a very important strategy for 

relieving back pain. However, it is important to know the right exercises to 

do. Depending on the cause of your back pain, you could make things worse 

by practicing the wrong exercises. Therefore, we strongly recommend that 

you consult with your doctor or a qualified physical therapist before you 

start. 

Yoga type exercises that stretch the spine in different directions can be 

enormously helpful in building a stronger, more flexible back that is better 

able to cope with the stresses and strains of life. This can help to relieve 

many forms of back pain and may also prevent more serious problems such 

as herniated discs.

In fact, one of the best ways to help back pain is to attend a yoga or Pilates 

class once or twice a week, and perform a few of the exercises by yourself 

between classes. That way you will learn the best exercises under 

supervision, and the instructor can advise on what might be the best types 

of exercises for you.

This type of exercise is not like many workouts where you aim to feel the 

burn. You should feel a stretch in the targeted area, but not actual pain. 

Always stop if the exercise becomes uncomfortable. There is nothing to be 

gained by over-stretching.

The kind of exercises that are most effective for pain relief include forward 

and backward bends, side bends and spinal twists. In most cases you can 

perform different versions of these according to how flexible your back is. 

For example, you can do a spinal twist sitting on a chair, sitting on the floor 

or lying on your back (the supine spinal twist). 

It is always important to balance your stretches. This means that if you curl 

or twist the spine in one direction, you should balance this with a stretch in 

the other direction. Most of us are more flexible on one side or the other so 

you will probably find that you can take a stretch further in one direction. 

That is fine. Go as far as you comfortably can on both sides, no more. Just 

try to give equal time to each side.

Abdominal exercises can also help in strengthening the back muscles, 

especially those of the lower back. The classic abdominal crunch or the 

bicycle crunch can help prevent back pain as well as giving you a firmer, 

stronger abdomen. The feel good benefits of having strong stomach and 

back muscles can be huge. It is worth considering adding a few ab exercises 

into your daily routine. 

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So the answer is that if you know the right exercises to do, you can certainly 

help to relieve your back pain this way. But it is important to consult an 

expert who can recommend the best bad-back exercises for your particular 

condition.

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