Preventative Back Pain Exercises

Here are some simple lower back pain exercises that can save you from a life of chronic pain...There are millions of people around the world who suffer from back pain, some estimates say that over 80% of us will be afflicted at one time or another. So, it's worth our time to learn a program of back pain exercises.Typically, we think of back pain as being associated with hard physical labor or sports, but it can be created just as easily by sitting in front of the computer all day! If you are trying to find a way to get rid of your back pain, or just prevent it from happening, there are a number of back pain exercises that you can do.Here are some basic flexibility and strengthening exercises to help with your back aches. Each of these back pain exercises works to help strengthen your back as well as tighten abdominal muscles. (The support you get from your abdominal muscles plays a bigger role in whether or not you have back pain than most of us realize.)Each of these back pain exercises will either loosen or work out the muscle and soft tissues. Making sure your muscles are flexible and strong will help you with any problems you may now have as well as prevent future occurrences.Take a few moments to learn how to do the exercises properly. They will work better, faster and be more effective if you do. An extremely effective exercise program of back strengthening exercises can be done in only a few minutes a day.Caution - as always, check with your physician before undertaking any workout treatments.Back Pain Exercises - Warm Up:The first step is the warm up, and it is one of the most important phases of the exercise. Warming up ensures that you don't strain or injure your back muscles when working out, and helps to loosen up any pain in your lower back.Few if any of us truly enjoy doing exercises (even gentle stretching exercises) so we tend to just jump right in and skip the warm up phase. This is a big mistake and is the cause of virtually all exercise related injuries. Working out with cold muscles is a recipe for disaster, one which can be easily avoided by taking the time to warm up first.Spend a few minutes stretching in every direction to loosen up your muscles.Run in place (brisk walking works just as well) or cycle for a few minutes to get your blood flowing and your heart pumping.Back Stretches - Do some simple stretches like:1. Bend over and touch your toes. Don't "bounce" into it, slowly relax into position and hold. bouncing into position while doing your back pain exercises won't help and can cause injury.2. Straighten and spread your legs - then bend over to place your hands on the floor. If you can't quite reach the floor, that's OK. Just relax and let your body stretch into position. It may take quite a few sessions to get there, but every day, you will get more and more flexible.3. Do some simple yoga poses, most yoga poses are excellent stretches plus as a side bonus - they work wonders on tension relief and help you develop correct posture too.4. Do forward and backward bends to loosen up your muscles and related soft tissues.5. Roll your neck and shoulders, and do some twists to get your muscles ready to work. (Be gentle, we want prevention, not injury.)Back Pain Exercises - Once you have warmed up and stretched sufficiently:It is time to get started with actually doing the exercises to eliminate backache. Each back strengthening exercise is designed to double as both an excellent stretch, and simultaneously as a work out treatment for other areas of the body.We highly recommend that you work out other parts of the body while training your back. If you only condition your back, it won't help you strengthen your core muscles.Doing these back pain exercises is a great way to strengthen and develop your abdominal and oblique muscles as well as your back muscles.1. Lie on your back with your feet raised straight into the air and your arms extended to the right and left sides. Slowly lower your feet to the floor on one side and hold it until you feel that your back and stomach muscles will give out. Repeat on the other side. Keep alternating right and left sides for as many "reps" as it takes to reach the point where you just can't do any more.Rest 15-20 seconds...At first, your fitness conditions may require that you rest a bit longer but as you get into better and better shape, your recovery period will lessen.2. Lie on your back with knees bent and feet on the floor. Roll up onto your shoulders with your hands clasped tightly beneath your buttocks, which you will raise off the floor with your abdominal and back muscles. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, relax, and repeat as desired. (Don't let the simplicity fool you...this simple routine is a great technique to relieve and heal back pain.3. Extend your arms straight out above your head as you lay on your stomach with your legs straight. Raise your head, upper torso, and feet a few inches off the ground. Hold for 3 seconds. Repeat 5 to 10 times. This bowing of your spine can go a long way toward relieving any minor ache you may have. Again, ease into the stretch, don't bounce.4. Assume a push up position with your legs extended straight out and your hands beneath your shoulders. Push up until your arms and legs are straight, and hold for 10 seconds. Lower yourself to the floor, rest for 5 seconds, and get back up into plank position. Repeat.Alternate these exercises with some of the other available back pain exercises for only about 15 minutes a day, and soon this activity will make you feel so energized, pain-free and refreshed that you consider your exercise time of day as a real treat!