Back pain exercises

Back pain is among the most common complaints today. Sedentary life style combined with spending a lot of time in front of the computer, straining the muscles in an uncomfortable chair are the most common causes. Back pain usually originates from the muscles, nerves, bones, joints or other structures in the spine. According to the affected area, it is divided into neck pain, upper back pain, lower back pain or tailbone pain. For many patients, the pain is very intense and often radiates to other parts of the body, typically affecting limbs. It is estimated that about 90 percent of adults experience back pain at some point in their life. Exercise is one of the greatest ways to reduce the back pain and even prevent it from occurring. People with back injuries should always exercise under a supervision of licensed professional. Otherwise, healthy people may strongly benefit from stretching exercises, yoga or pilates, improving their posture, muscular strength and motion range.

As any other type of exercise, back exercises require at least five minutes of warm up. A light low impact aerobic exercise is a great way to reduce the risk of injury. One can simply climb the stairs, clean around room or dance to the favorite music before enough heat in the body accumulates.

Lower back is a storage space for a lot of pain and tension. One can easily stretch this part of the body by simply lying back with arms stretched out to the sides. The knees should be bent and placed flat on the floor. On a long inhale, the knees are lowered to one side as the floor and the position is held for 15-30 seconds. Do it again on the opposite side.

Bridge is one of the most popular exercises originally developed as yoga posture. The exercise includes lying back with knees bent and placed flat on the floor. The shoulders are also relaxed on the floor, while the stomach muscles contract to raise the hips to form a straight line from the knees to the shoulders. The position is held for at least three deep breaths.

Cat stretch is a great way to release the tension along the spine and decompress the space between the vertebras. One should start the position by holding the hands and the knees on the floor and slowly letting the back and abdomen sag towards the floor. In a fluid slow motion, the back is then slowly arched in the opposite direction, towards the ceiling, to form a nice arch. This stretch is repeated up to five times and twice a day.