3 exercises for back pain

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

These exercises will not only relieve you of back pain, but will also help reduce the likelihood of injury, and they can be performed by anyone of any age and with any level of physical fitness.

Stuart M. McGill, director of the Spine Biomechanics Laboratory at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, and his colleagues have found three ideal back exercises. They include the core muscles in the work and provide the stability of the spine, but at the same time they do not carry a large load.

It is worth noting that if you really want to solve back problems, then you definitely need to see a doctor who will make up a set of exercises specifically for your case. The exercises below are not a universal medicine. Use them as a daily prophylaxis charge!

Exercises

Exercise number 1. "Hunting dog"

• Get on all fours with your spine in a neutral position (no flexing). The palms are located directly under the shoulders, and the knees rest on the floor clearly under the hips.
• Tighten your abdominal muscles.
• Extend one arm and raise it until it is parallel to the floor. Then lift the straightened opposite leg also to a position in which it will be parallel to the floor.
• Try to keep your head and back in the same position while raising your arm and leg.
• Hold this position for 10 seconds (if pain occurs, gently return to the starting position).
• Return to the starting position and repeat the exercise on the other arm and leg.

This exercise works most of the muscles in the back, including the erector spine and the rhomboid muscle, which runs from the spine towards the shoulder blades. As a bonus, you will get a workout of the buttocks, which also play an important role in strengthening the core.

How many repetitions of this exercise you can do depends on your fitness and back problems (or lack thereof). Braco recommends doing 5 reps on each side with a 10 second rest between side changes. Then do 3 reps on each side and finish with a single repetition of the exercise.

Exercise number 2. Side plank

• Lie on your side, rest on your forearm, elbow rests on the floor clearly under the shoulder.
• Bend your knees.
• Lift yourself up with your hips so that your body forms a straight line to your knees.
• Hold this position for 10 seconds and repeat on the other side.
• A more difficult version: do the same thing, only straighten your knees.

The number of repetitions and approaches is the same as in the first exercise.

Exercise number 3. Modified upward curls

• Lie on the floor with one leg bent at the knee and resting on the floor, the other straightened. Place your hands under your lower back, palms down, so that they are between your back and the floor.
• Raise your head and shoulders slightly off the floor (literally a few centimeters).
• Hold this position for 10 seconds and carefully return to the starting position, lowering your head to the floor.

The number of repetitions and approaches is the same as in the previous exercises.

What not to do

If you have back problems, it is not recommended to do exercises in which the spine twists and bends, as they can lead to injuries and hernia formation. Examples include the traditional twisting with a trunk lift and the Superman exercise, in which the body forms a curved arc due to the raised arms and legs.