Guest Post: Back Pain Relief

By: Jaime Arnold. We connected with Jaime via twitter in a conversation about crunches injuring spines. Jaime is a staff writer for backpainrelief.net and yoga enthusiast. Jamie is also an animal lover and avid traveler, and she was excited to write for us about beneficial back pain relief therapies. Jaime says… 

Incorporating aerobics, strengthening and stretching is instrumental in achieving middle back pain relief. Not only can these exercises improve stamina, muscle tone and flexibility, but they can also be beneficial to your overall health. As a result, you’ll be less likely to suffer from back pain. Exercise can be particularly helpful to people with previous back injuries or those with a medical condition that affects their spine.

Aerobic exercises— Low-intensity exercises include walking, biking, and swimming. These exercises can burn calories and improve muscle tone without the risk for overexertion. More importantly, these exercises strengthen your heart. Low-intensity exercises are more beneficial to back pain sufferers because they’re less strenuous, meaning there’s less of a risk for injury. Aerobic exercises can also result in weight loss, which can help relieve back pain.

Strength training— This physical activity can also lead to weight loss. However, for patients with back pain, strength training is an important aspect of treatment. While strength training can help alleviate back pain, it’s important not to overexert yourself. This can do more harm than good. Strength training can also be beneficial for those with a history of back pain. This is because improving muscle tone can prevent back-related injuries in the future. If you’re beginning a strength training regime, use light weights. As you strengthen your back, you’ll be able to use heavier weights. In order to strengthen back muscles try using strength training such as deadlifts, pull-ups, and/or rows. (Bethany says: If you have a diastasis, be sure to support your belly while leaning forward during back work. I also recommend work on your belly like the Pilates double-leg kick or the Yoga alternating half-locust)

Stretching— Yoga, pilates and other stretching exercises can help reduce back pain. By stretching on a regular basis, you can improve your flexibility. This especially helps those with a limited range of motion. While some discomfort is expected, these exercises shouldn’t be done if they cause additional pain. In addition to stretching muscles, tendons, and ligaments, these exercises focus on
breathing techniques. Stress can worsen back pain; however, yoga and pilates can release stress and reduce muscle tension. These can be instrumental in finding temporary relief of back pain.

Note: When exercising for back pain relief, or just for strengthening your core, crunches and crunch-like motions are more damaging than rewarding. Crunches place undue stress on your back muscles which can cause major back pain, in addition to being an ineffective way to work your abdominal muscles. Instead of crunches, try alternative exercises such as standing abdominal exercises and other core strengthening workouts involving a medicine ball or modified planks (on your elbows and knees with your belly supported if you still have a split in your ab muscles).

To prevent yourself from becoming bored, incorporate all three of the above exercise types into your weekly routine. With these exercises, you’ll notice a difference in how your body responds to lower and middle back pain. This can vary depending on the severity of your pain. People with mild to moderate back pain may experience relief within the first few weeks. However, it may take longer for patients with more serious back pain conditions. In fact, exercise may not be able to treat your back pain.

If you have pain, consult your doctor before beginning an exercise routine. He or she may want to evaluate your current medical condition before approving any physical activity.  If gentle exercise is unable to relieve back pain, you may need to go see a doctor again. He or she will be able to diagnose your condition, as well as recommend an effective treatment method. In most cases, exercise plays a large role in the treatment of back pain. Not only can exercise provide back pain relief, it can improve your overall health. However, exercise may not be able to alleviate your back pain, and you can explore other options on our site, Back Pain Relief.