Essential Exercises to Relieve Back Pain

21 Mar Essential Exercises to Relieve Back Pain

Almost everyone can suffer from lower back pain at some point in their life.  If you’re one of the lucky ones, the pain is caused by a specific activity, which if avoided, can resolve with rest, over time.  Unfortunately, not everyone is that lucky and some must learn to manage chronic back pain. 

Fortunately, there are things YOU can do to manage the pain: alleviate the symptoms and minimise recurrence.  The first steps are to understand what causes the pain, eliminate the causes, and create an exercise plan to prevent or minimise a flare. 

Common causes of back pain include: 

• Poor posture 
• Weak back, esp. in abdominal and gluteal muscles 
• Reduced flexibility of the whole body 
• Weight gain 
• Bending and Lifting 
 

If your back pain is acute and severe, avoid the cause of the pain, rest as much as your body needs. (But please don’t strictly stay in bed. It is best to go for little walks, then rest and ice for about 10 min. Repeat every hour. Cold packs are effective when active inflammation produces severe pain and joint swelling.  To minimise potential skin freeze, place the ice pack into a damp towel.  

Exercise is the most effective way to relieve back pain 

Exercising to relieve pain is ironic, of course, because when one suffers from back pain, the mere thought of exercising sounds painful.  But the purpose of the exercise is to activate, stretch or strengthen the muscles surrounding the spine so that you ‘shift’ some of the inflammation that is causing you the back pain. Long term, you need to exercise to reduce the risk of recurrence. 

Benefits of exercise to relieve pain: 

• Stimulates endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers 
• Improves blood flow to discs, joints and muscles which relaxes painful spasms and accelerates healing 
• Gentle movement normalises muscle tension by reducing spasm 

Exercises that are known alleviate back pain: 

These exercises are known to help relief common causes of back pain, but this may be different for you.

1. Knees to Chest whilst lying on back 
2. Hip Flexor and Hamstring Stretch 
3. Lumbar Rotation (Spiral stretch) 
4. Abdominal Strengthening – f.e. Gentle crunches on the exercise ball 
5. Gluteal Bridges 
6. Back Roll on a foam roller 

Don’t give up because you don’t see results quickly. 

Lower back pain can be debilitating but doesn’t have to be if you are determined to make it better.  If you have suffered from chronic back pain for some time, it can take weeks or months before you will notice the difference. 

Consider an exercise program tailored to your body 

Your physiotherapist can create an exercise program that will not exacerbate your back symptoms. Exercise programs are tailored to each individual depending on the current level of pain, cause and capabilities.  The exercises will be coupled with ergonomic advice such as proper lifting techniques, postural advice and weight loss (if needed). 

Exercise programs may include a variety of stretching and low impact aerobics, like walking or cycling.  Swimming is an excellent alternative to higher impact cardiovascular exercises.  The exercises are monitored and should progress gradually by your physiotherapist. 

To design a fitness program specifically to address your back-pain contact Physio Fit Studio today: 0400 023 412 

Our physiotherapists will create and design a fitness program tailor-made to your health and fitness goals.  Whether you are starting a fitness program to lose weight, preparing for a 10K race, fine tuning your exercise program or rehabilitating an injury, our team will use the latest techniques and offer comprehensive services in a comfortable, boutique environment to deliver the results you want! 

Our physical therapy services include private Pilates sessions, small-group rehab physio exercise classes, reformer, and mat physio exercise classes.  All our classes are taught by qualified physiotherapists and attract private health fund rebates.