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Low Back Pain Exercises Reduce Pain
Tags: low back pain, low back pain exercises, Low back pain relief, low back pain treatment, natural pain relief, pain management, pain relief, pain treatment, physical therapist Prescott, physical therapists Prescott, Prescott physical therapy
In a previous article, four exercises that improve low back strength and endurance were covered. If you’ve been working on these low back pain exercises for the past two or three weeks I’m sure you’ve started to notice less low back pain. If you’ve been doing these exercises regularly there’s also a good chance they are pretty easy by now. To continue making progress the exercises need to be progressed. Without making them more difficult, strength and endurance of the core and low back musculature will not continue to improve. These exercises are simple to progress. Let’s walk through each one. Remember, if the progression causes familiar low back pain you’re not ready for the more difficult exercise. Continue to work on the original exercise and begin the more difficult version when you can complete the movement without pain.
Cat/camel: this exercise stays the same, it’s essentially a warm-up/mobility drill for the spine. No progression here.
Trunk curl-up: The best way to progress this exercise is by adding time to the hold. So curl-up and hold for ten seconds. Remember to breath! 6-10 ten second holds, 10 times.
Bird-dog: We will cover two primary progressions. First, increase hold time to 10 seconds. Or you can draw squares with your arm and hand. This is more difficult than it sounds, especially if you focus on keeping the low back from moving. 5-10 reps each way.
Side bridge: Progress to side plank. If the side plank is too difficult progress to prone plank. Start with 15-20 holds and work your way up to 1 minute holds over the course of 3-4 weeks. 1-2 holds each side.
After completing the progressed versions of these low back pain exercises for 3-4 weeks you may have no low back pain or very little low back pain. When you reach a point where low back pain is not interfering with your every day activity level it’s time to switch to maintenance mode. In maintenance mode you can decrease the frequency of completing these exercises to 3 times per week. You don’t need to worry about progressing them any further either, although you can. This simple routine will keep your low back healthy enough to handle regular, day-to-day activity. If you are an athlete or more active you will want to train the core musculature more dynamically. A future article will cover training the core musculature in more challenging ways without compromising the low back.
With these low back pain exercises, consistency and a positive attitude, you will ease, if not eliminate, your low back pain in a matter of time.
For more tips to help you eliminate your lower back pain, sign up for our FREE low back pain guide today or give us a call at 928-589-1172 and set up an appointment with Dr. Permar.