Exercises for Back Pain Relief

[Spoon]

Back Pain: Exercising Your Options
By Tammy White, M.S., P.T.

Exercises that stretch and strengthen the muscles of your abdomen and spine can help prevent debilitating and painful back problems. Whether dull and constant or sudden and sharp, low-back pain affects eight out of 10 Americans at some point during their lives, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. As millions know, back pain can quickly become disabling.

While there's no sure cure for a back out of whack, experts advise that the best way to prevent back pain is through regular exercise. Strengthening and stretching exercises help bolster back muscles, allowing them to better withstand the demands of everyday life.

Low Back Pain Exercises

* Quadruped arm/leg raise: Get down on your hands and knees. Tighten your abdominal muscles to stiffen your spine. While keeping your abdominals tight, raise one arm and the opposite leg away from you. Hold this position for 5 seconds. Lower your arm and leg slowly and alternate sides. Do this 10 times on each side.

* Pelvic tilt: Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Tighten your abdominal muscles and push your lower back into the floor. Hold this position for 5 seconds, then relax. Do three sets of 10.

* Partial curl: Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Tighten your stomach muscles and flatten your back against the floor. Tuck your chin to your chest. With your hands stretched out in front of you, curl your upper body forward until your shoulders clear the floor. Hold this position for 3 seconds. Don't hold your breath. It helps to breathe out as you lift your shoulders up. Relax. Repeat 10 times. Build to three sets of 10. To challenge yourself, clasp your hands behind your head and keep your elbows out to the side.

* Gluteal stretch: Lying on your back with both knees bent, rest one ankle over the knee of your other leg. Grasp the thigh of the bottom leg and pull that knee toward your chest. You will feel a stretch along the buttocks and possibly along the outside of your hip on the top leg. Hold this for 15 to 30 seconds. Repeat three times.

* Cat and camel: Get down on your hands and knees. Let your stomach sag, allowing your back to curve downward. Hold this position for 5 seconds. Then arch your back and hold for 5 seconds. Do three sets of 10.

* Extension exercise: lie face down on the floor for 5 minutes. If this hurts too much, lie face down with a pillow under your stomach. This should relieve your leg or back pain. When you can lie on your stomach for 5 minutes without a pillow, then you can continue with the rest of this exercise.

After lying on your stomach for 5 minutes, prop yourself up on your elbows for another 5 minutes. lie flat again for 1 minute, then press down on your hands and extend your elbows while keeping your hips flat on the floor. Hold for 1 second and lower yourself to the floor. Repeat 10 times. Do four sets. Rest for 2 minutes between sets. You should have no pain in your legs when you do this, but it is normal to feel some discomfort in your lower back. Do this exercise several times a day.

Tammy White, M.S., P.T., & Phyiiis Ciapis, P.T., D.H.Sc. O.C.S.

Source: The Saturday Evening Post. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. Powered by Yellowbrix.