Fitness
Fitness for Back Pain: Causes and Exercises You Can Do
What is Back Pain and what are the most common causes for it?
One of the most commonly held beliefs, that is sometimes harmful as well, is that when a person is experiencing back pain, they should avoid exercising. It's easy to understand that many people are afraid that stretching or exercising will make their back pain worse. But this belief may lead them to depend too heavily on medication and other medical treatments, not realizing the benefits of fitness for back pain, and the important role it plays in healing and the long-term relief of back pain.
Exercise and movement provide natural stimuli for the healing process in many types of back disorders. Fitness for back pain, including gradual, progressive exercise programs, as opposed to bed rest and inactivity, most times provide a lasting solution for decreasing back pain and for preventing future occurrences of pain or reducing their frequency.
Fitness for back pain and exercise both treats existing pain and helps in preventing future episodes of back pain:
- Exercise and fitness for back pain help eliminate current back problems by repairing the structures in the spine and nourishing them.
- Exercise, movement, and fitness for back pain help to keep spinal structures strong, flexible and healthy. This helps to reduce the chance of future injuries and pain.
Back pain is simply pain felt in the back. The pain may be felt anywhere from the upper, mid, or lower part of the back, in which it can take up any one of these names:
- Cervical Back Pain (Neck area)
- Thoracic Back Pain (Middle and Upper Back area)
- Lumbar Back Pain (Back Pain felt in the lower back)
- Sacral Spine back pain (Pain felt near the hips and lowest part of the spine)
Back pain may also be acute, sub-acute or chronic, meaning it can occur only a few times or it can last for a very long time. It may also manifest itself in many forms of pain such as a dull ache, a piercing pain, a shooting pain, or a burning sensation, and may also radiate into the body parts near your back.
No matter the type of back pain you may experience, you may wonder what methods you can use to treat it. Well, what a majority of experts agree on that can effectively maintain a healthy back and treat back pain are exercises and fitness for back pain. This is because when you are not actively doing anything and is living a sedentary lifestyle, the muscles that support your spine and back get weaker, and you are more prone to injury.
But the same can be said of exercising, as using the improper form when exercising can also be the cause of unwanted stress on the spine, which may then progress onto back pain. However, some exercises can be an effective fitness for back pain.
Fitness for Back Pain: Exercises you Should Absolutely do
Here are some exercises which can be greatly beneficial when it comes to fitness for back pain. Some of these exercises help strengthen the muscles in your back to better support your spine:
1. Partial Crunches- Partial crunches are good for your back as they can strengthen both back and stomach muscles. Here are steps to doing partial crunches as effective fitness for back pain:
- Lie with your knees bent and plant your feet flat on the floor
- Cross your arms over the chest
- You can also put your hands behind your back
- Tighten the muscles in your stomach as you raise your shoulders off the floor
- Hold this position for a second
- And then slowly lower your back down.
- Repeat a number of times
2. Hamstring Stretches – Here are some steps on how to do hamstring stretches as fitness for back pain
- Lie on your back and bend one knee
- Loop a towel under your foot
- Straighten your knee
- And pull back the towel
- Hold for at least 15-30 seconds
- And repeat a number of times
3. Wall Sits - Here are the steps on how to properly do wall sits as fitness for back pain
- Stand a few inches away from the wall
- So that when you lean back until your buttocks are almost level with your knees, your back is leaned against the wall
- Slowly slide down until your knees are bent
- Hold for a few seconds and slide back up against the wall
- Repeat a number of times
4. Press Up Back Extensions- this type of exercise is also an effective fitness for back pain
- Begin by lying on your stomach with your hands under your shoulders
- Push with your hands so your shoulders begin to lift off the floor
- Hold this position for several seconds
- And repeat it a number of times
5. Bird- Dog Exercise
- Start on your hands and knees so that you are on all fours
- Tighten your stomach muscles
- Lift and extend one leg behind you
- Keep your hips at level
- Hold for 5 seconds
- Return your leg to its original position
- And then do the same to the other leg.
- Repeat about 8 to 12 times for each leg.
Fitness for Back Pain: Exercises to Avoid
A lot of exercises are beneficial in having the fitness for back pain. But not all exercises are good for your back. Here are some exercises you should avoid in order to avoid aggravating pain in your back:
- Toe Touches- Toe touches can put great stress on the disks and ligaments in your spine.
- Sit-ups- you should absolutely avoid sit-ups as they can put a lot of pressure on your spine
- Leg Lifts- although leg lifts are marketed as exercises that strengthen your core, they can be very demanding on your stomach and back muscles and can lead to more pain.
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Spine