Top Tips To Help Tackle Back Pain

Back Care Awareness Week (3^rd-7^th October 2022) happens every year and is designed to highlight back issues and raise awareness on how to manage back pain. It’s incredibly important to look after our backs and our spines because they support the body and allow us to move and bend and carry; not being able to do these simple things can have a huge impact on daily life.
 
Strengthening core muscles provides extra support for the back and can minimise the risk of damaging the back in future. Strengthening the entire trunk reduces the stress and pressure placed on the back, particularly the spine, as there are more muscles to support movements.
 
Day-to-day activities for many don’t typically include core-strengthening activities, so targeted exercises are important for maintaining a strong core.
 

Exercises to build core strength to minimise strain on the back:

Abdominal crunch

1. Lie on your back and place your feet against a wall so your knees and hips are both at 90-degree angles
2. Cross your arms on your chest – do not place your hands behind your head as this can cause injury
3. Raise your head and shoulders off the floor by tightening your abdominal muscles
4. Hold for three deep breaths
5. Return to start position
6. Repeat

Bridge

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle and your feet flat on the floor
2. Your back should be flat – not arched, pushed or twisted, and your hips should not be tilted
3. Tighten your abdominal muscles
4. Raise your hips off the floor so they are in line with your knees and shoulders
5. Hold for three deep breaths
6. Return to start position
7. Repeat

Double-leg abdominal press

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle and your feet flat on the floor
2. Your back should be flat – not arched, pushed or twisted, and your hips should not be tilted
3. Tighten your abdominal muscles
4. Raise one leg so the knee and hip are both at 90-degree angles, repeat with the other leg
5. Place your hands on your knees
6. Keeping your arms straight, push your hands against your knees while using your abdominal muscles to push your knees against your hands
7. Hold for three deep breaths
8. Return to start position
9. Repeat

Segmental rotation

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle and your feet flat on the floor
2. Your back should be flat – not arched, pushed or twisted, and your hips should not be tilted
3. Keeping both shoulders on the floor, gently roll both knees to one side until you feel a stretch (but not pain)
4. Hold for three deep breaths
5. Return to centre and roll both knees to the other side
6. Hold for three deep breaths
7. Return to start position
8. Repeat

 

Exercises to avoid if you have a bad back

For those who already have back problems, exercise can help alleviate pain and be generally beneficial, however, certain exercises can be detrimental.
Any exercise that puts undue stress on the back should be avoided, and reducing the weight used during exercise may be recommended while the back recovers.
Toe touches put excess stress on the spine’s discs and ligaments, and this exercise can lead to overstretched back muscles and hamstrings
Sit-ups, similar to abdominal crunches but requiring more movement and, consequently, stress, often involve the use of the hip muscles, rather than being focused on core muscles. They can put a lot of pressure on the spinal discs.
Leg lifts, when doing both legs together, can put a lot of strain on the lower back and can make things worse for an already pained back.

Exercises to do if you have a bad back

Leg lift variation

• Lay on your back with one leg straight and flat, and the other leg bent at the knee with your foot on the floor
• Be sure to keep your lower back firmly on the floor
• Gently raise your straight leg by about 6 inches
• Hold for three deep breaths and lower your leg
• Repeat 10 times then switch to the other leg.

Press-up back extensions

These are another good alternative to an existing exercise; instead of a full press-up which can place excess strain on the back, these back extensions work to strengthen the back.

• Lie face down with your hands under your shoulders, palm-down
• Push your hands down so your shoulders lift off the floor, keeping your hips on the floor
• Hold for three deep breaths and return to the floor
• Repeat

Bird dog

This movement also helps strengthen the lower back and can be done with body weight alone. The focus of this exercise is the lower back, so don’t extend the limbs to a point where the lower back muscles begin to sag.

• Start on your hands and knees with a flat back
• Tighten your stomach
• Gently extend one leg behind you while keeping your hips level
• Hold for 5 seconds and then switch to the other leg, repeating 10x per leg
• You can also do this exercise while extending the opposite arm in front of you – e.g. if you are extending your left leg, also extend your right arm

 

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