Exercise
All About Exercise And Reducing Back Pain
By Jarrett Kruse
Exercise is probably the most important factor in back pain prevention. Back pain exercises, including strengthening exercises and back pain stretches relieve back pain in the short term and help you get in shape to resist future back pain and injury. A comprehensive program of back pain therapy recognizes why you need exercise and includes a series of back pain exercises designed to promote recovery. Each back pain exercise should be geared to a particular purpose—strengthening muscles, improving range of motion, and increasing flexibility are the principal benefits of exercise in a back rehabilitation program.
Exercise is critical to recovery from back injury. Medication acupuncture, and other treatments may ease pain or rid us of symptoms, but exercise promote long-term back health. Back exercises are designed to accomplish three basic goals, all critical to overcoming back pain you are already suffering and preventing future back pain and injury:
- Strengthening your muscles. Most back exercise programs concentrate on strengthening core muscles—those muscles that support the spine. By strengthening core muscles you are less vulnerable to injury and can participate in more activities without worrying about hurting your back. Exercises such as pelvic tilts, crunches, or slow leg lifts fall into this category.
- Increasing your range of motion. When your comfortable range of motion is limited, movements outside that range make you susceptible to injury and pain. Exercises that gradually increase your range of motion keep you more limber and resistant to injury. A variety if stretches are geared toward increasing the range of motion.
- Increase flexibility. Sometimes daily life requires us to move suddenly or to reach in an unusual position. If we have limited flexibility, we are more prone to sudden injury if we move in an unusual way. A variety of stretches for the upper and lower back are designed to increase flexibility.
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