If you’re sick of downing prescription or over the counter drugs, you might be in the right place. Here we will discuss the tool of exercise for lower back pain relief. The ACA suggests that 80% of Americans will have some sort of back pain in their lifetime – that’s over 250 million people. This major problem has many suggested solutions, from pills to chiropractics and even surgery. These are expensive fixes for a problem that could quite possibly be helped by simply exercising more.
Following a routine that incorporates stretching, cardio, and resistance training will help strengthen your muscles and reduce the chance of injury. Stretching enhances your flexibility which in turn will allow your back to move more easily. This lessens your likelihood of strains. Cardio will improve your health in general as well as get your body used to moving around more. Finally, resistance training will build your back and core strength so you can move and lift more freely while staying uninjured.
Low Impact Cardio Exercise for Lower Back Pain Relief
Low impact exercise routines are the best for back pain. You want to avoid things like running on hard surfaces and other workouts that could actually make your back pain worse. If you don’t already exercise regularly, start small. Here are some articles that will help:
- How to Start an Exercise Program: 5 Awesome Tips for Beginners
- Best Exercises for Core: Strengthening Your Core
You will eventually build up your workout and get more efficient. It’s also important that your exercise for lower back pain relief is good enough, check out this article to learn more. Working out effectively and efficiently is important for overall health as well as back pain relief.
Stretching Exercises for Lower Back Pain Relief
Stretching daily or a couple of times a week will also get rid of some pain you are feeling. This article will show some great exercises to get you started. The idea of stretching is to get a better range of motion. If you can move your back more easily and freely, then you’re less likely to injure it. A good stretch is also great to work out any kinks or pain in the lower back.
When choosing which muscles to work, focus on stretches specifically for your lower back as well as the surrounding muscles. For example, in the article listed above, we suggest doing glute bridges that work your glutes and hamstrings. It’s important to have flexible hamstrings when considering exercise for lower back pain relief because they help your back move more efficiently. Have you ever had a pulled hamstring or just had tight legs from overdoing something? If so, you may remember having trouble moving, in general, as well as turning at your trunk/lower back. This puts excess and unnecessary strain on your back which can lead to injury.
Strength Training/Resistance Training
You probably shouldn’t go to the gym and start doing 400-pound deadlifts today to strengthen your back and surrounding muscles. As mentioned earlier, start small if you don’t work out regularly. Here is an article of exercises you can to at home:
Essentially, resistance training will strengthen your back, which offers support, less chance of injury, and ultimately pain relief. Find a routine that works for you and will keep you motivated. For example, if you are doing exercises for lower back pain relief, and you hate doing it, then you will probably quit eventually. Try a few different workouts, decide which ones are the most fun for you, then develop your plan around those. This will ensure that you’re not only solving your back problems, but you will continue to do so while building up your strength. This is a long term solution to lower back pain, and it’s much better than taking some pain pills – which will only mask the underlying issues at play.