The risk of developing back pain increases with weak muscles. In fact most of the time weak muscles are the cause of back pain especially if you refer to lower back pain. The core muscles which are found in the buttocks, abdomen and the back all supports the spine so that any weakness in these core muscles can bring injury to the spine. That is why it is vital that these core muscles that supports the spine should be strengthen to prevent or reduce back pain.
Exercise is the best way to strengthen these core muscles and the best exercise for back pain are stretching exercise and strengthening exercise. But before undergoing any exercise program it is best if you consult with your doctor first to clear you off if you are suffering from other medical conditions. If you are cleared and it is safe for you to perform the exercise then you can start your stretching and strengthening exercise program. The best back exercise program comprise of a stretching and strengthening exercise.
Before starting make sure that you have warm up for at least five minutes with light aerobics like riding a stationary bike or walking before you start your exercise program to prevent the risk of injury. After warming up, your are now ready to start. But which one comes first? Stretching or strengthening? Well it is really just a matter of personal choice which one you want to perform first.
One important thing to remember when exercising, breath while you exercise and never hold your breath for this can cause your blood pressure to raise so focus on breathing while exercising. Another important warning is if you have back injury then always consult your physiotherapist on what specific exercise you can and cannot perform.
Stretching exercise can be done daily although every other day is also enough. When stretching you should not feel pain that is why if you feel uncomfortable and feel pain then stop the exercise and consult your doctor.
The most common stretching exercise includes pelvic tilt, back spinal twist, the cat, the cobra; shoulder, back, arms stretch; chest stretch; sides, waist stretch; knee to chest; piriformis stretch, hamstring stretch, hip flexor stretch, quadriceps stretch, wall back stretch and inversion table stretching.
As for strengthening exercise, you can perform this every other day to give your body time to recover. Overuse injuries can occur if you perform strengthening exercise everyday. As always focus on your breathing while exercising. When performing your strengthening exercise always start with abdominal tensing to activate your abdominal muscles as well as your other core muscles.
The following are most common strengthening exercise – The Bridge, the plank, the wall squat, leg and arm raises, leg lifts, backward leg swing and many more.
Exercise is really good for the body and keeping fit always by performing stretching and strengthening exercise can prevent any back pain later on. As you go on, you can increase the duration of your back exercise but as always, consult your doctor if you are suffering from back condition or any other health problems.
Sometimes it is important too if you become proactive when it comes to your health especially if you are one of those who suffer from back pain. Sometimes doctors do fail to prescribe exercise as a form of treatment for back pain when they should have. That is why discuss it with your doctor when the need arise. This is a fact and this is proven with researchers of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where they discover that even if the medical community has agreed that exercise is good for back pain yet majority of patients are not prescribed exercise (Arthritis Rheum 2009).