How to Manage Back Pain with Exercise

Keeping back pain at bay is difficult, especially when the pain is related to regular activities like walking, working, or playing sports. Exercise can help reduce back pain and even reduce the chances of re-injuring your back. However, doing so requires you to take the proper steps to understand your pain before you try out a barrage of Google answers. The following tips can help:

Define Your Pain

Pain is usually the first sign that something is amiss in the body, but it can be difficult for doctors to pinpoint the cause of back pain. Without knowing the source of your pain, you won’t be able to treat it effectively, especially if it is caused by an injury. Back pain can be caused by many factors, including injuries, poor posture, and bad habits. Try to understand your pain as best as you can, including what movements or positions are the most aggravating and the most comfortable. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

  • Does it hurt to bend forward? Backward? How about rotating?

  • Does my pain stay in my back or does it travel down into my glute/leg?

  • Has my pain changed since the original occurrence?

  • How is my sensitivity in my feet? Do I have any numbness?

NOTE: If you are experiencing shooting pain, please consult with a health professional before trying to treat your pain.

Build Resiliency - Choose the Right Exercises

Now that you have a better understanding of your back pain, you can begin to engage in healthy and restorative movements to help your back. The first goal is to avoid any movements that are aggravating your back. This could be forward bending for some, twisting to the left or right for others. The key is to focus on YOUR limited movement. From here, you can focus on tolerable movements. The following list is just a sampling of valuable back-focused movements. Only perform movements listed in the category that is not aggravating to your back.

Flexion

  • Crunch

  • RDL

  • Modified Curl-Up

Extension

  • Bridge

  • Superman

  • Back Extension

Rotation

  • Russian Twist

  • Med Ball Side Toss

  • Cable Chop

Bending

  • Side Lean

  • Jefferson Curl

  • Windmill

Anti-Movement (Isometric)

  • Plank (including Side Plank)

  • Bird Dog

  • Suitcase (DB) carry

Avoid Unnecessary Stretches

Stretching is an important part of an exercise routine, but most exercises don’t require long stretches. Take a focused approach and start looking at other areas of the body that may be affecting the low back. The ankles and hips are common joints that can resonate issues up into the low back. Spend time addressing the ranges of these joints to give your back a break. If you spend a lot of your day sitting, your hip flexors could use some stretching. Start simple and limit the amount of stretching and torquing you do to your spine during the early, sensitive stages.

Take Regular Breaks

The back is a structure that can take anywhere from days to months to bounce back. The road to recovery is often not linear and you will experience good days and bad days. It is important to take each day on a case-by-case basis and to never overexert yourself. Setbacks can be costly from a time and a mental aspect. If you are in a regular training routine, consider splitting up your workload into smaller chunks throughout the day or week to give yourself more time to recover.

Conclusion

Exercise is an important part of keeping your body healthy and fit. It can also be a great way to manage your back pain. However, you need to make sure you’re choosing the right exercises and taking care of your back before, during, and after your workout to avoid injury. The best way to do this is to talk with a health professional about any issues you’ve been having so you can get on the road to recovery.

If you do not have a trusted health professional, you can reach out to The FIX and find out why so many people have trusted us with getting them out of back pain!

Back, PainKen Smith