Can Back Exercise Help Back Pain?

By Kevin Rudick

Performing back exercises can be a very important strategy
for relieving back pain. However, it is important to know
the right exercises to do so that you don't make things
worse. Thus, it is our suggestion that you seek the advice
of a physician or physical therapist prior to beginning any
new routine.

Great benefits can be had from yoga-based movements intended
to stretch the spine, as they help build back strength and
flexibility which increase physical endurance. Several types
of back complaints can be helped in this way, and more
severe conditions such as herniation of the discs can
possibly be prevented.

Other back exercises that are effective for pain relief
include forward and backward bends, side bends and spinal
twists. In most cases you can perform different versions of
these according to how flexible your back is. For example
you can do a spinal twist sitting on a chair, sitting on the
floor or lying on your back (the supine spinal twist).

You must take care to always keep your stretching balanced.
This means that if you curl or twist the spine in one
direction, you should balance this with a stretch in the
other direction. Most of us are more flexible on one side or
the other so you will probably find that you can take a
stretch further in one direction. Just go as far as you
comfortably can on both sides, no more.

Abdominal exercises can also help in strengthening the back
muscles, especially those of the lower back. The classic
abdominal crunch or the bicycle crunch can help prevent back
pain as well as giving you a firmer, stronger abdomen.

Back exercises are not like many workouts where you aim to
feel the burn. You should feel a stretch in the targeted
area, but not actual pain. Always stop if the exercise
becomes uncomfortable. Excessive stretches do not produce
worthwhile benefits.

Kevin is a contributing writer to the
(http://backpainandsciaticarelief.com/) Back Pain Sciatica
site. You might be interested in his latest article: Finding
the Best
(http://backpainandsciaticarelief.com/chair-for-sciatica/)
Sciatica Chair.