The best exercises for lower back pain engage the core musculature WITHOUT loading the lumbar tissues excessively.
Research has shown that exercise effectively reduces lower back pain, improves function, and prevents future recurrences.
While general exercise can be effective there are some exercises that are better than others. Especially during an acute bout of lower back pain.
The key is focusing on exercises that engage the muscles that stabilize the lower back during activity. These muscles are commonly referred to as “core” muscles.
There are endless variations of core stability exercises. The problem is some of these exercises result in excessive loading through the lumbar discs and facet joints. Lower back pain is often related to a disc or facet joint.
If you’re doing exercises that overload the discs and facet joints it’s quite possible to prolong the healing process or exacerbate the symptoms.
So many people don’t do anything. Not doing anything can be just as detrimental as doing the wrong exercises or doing too much. The discs, muscles, and joints of the lower back are living, biological tissues and require exercise to heal and stay healthy.
So what exercises for lower back pain should you do?
Exercise that engages the core muscles WITHOUT placing too much load through the discs and joints.
These four exercises have been proven to do just that.
Start with these four exercises and do them daily. Work on these for four weeks, gradually progressing the volume and difficulty.
Proven, Powerful Exercises for Lower back Pain outlines a four week program with progressions using these exercises.
Walking is another great exercise for lower back pain
Walking engages the trunk musculature while simultaneously promoting load sharing through the lumbar tissues. Load sharing means that the discs, facet joints, muscles, and ligaments are all working together to distribute loads through the lower back. This reduces pain and inflammation, helping the healing process along.
Walking at a brisk pace with arm swing has been proven in the lower back pain research literature to decrease pain and improve function. This type of walking is the best place to start.
Weighted walking actually reduces muscle tension through the paraspinal muscles, decreasing loads through the lumbar tissues. This is a more advanced strategy that can be incorporated when back pain is present but not acute.
Once your back begins to heal and becomes less painful begin to incorporate some more general exercises into your program.
Pull-ups and dips are great exercises to consider.
Exercises for lower back pain…pull-ups and dips.
Both of these exercises allow you to work your entire trunk and arms with minimal load through your lumbar spine. Additionally you get a nice traction force through your lower back with both exercises. Traction decompresses the lumbar discs and facet joints and has the potential to decrease lower back pain.
Exercise for lower back pain is the only treatment approach proven to decrease the chances of future lower back pain episodes. It’s the best bet for consistent, long-term pain relief.
For more videos that show you how to beat back pain subscribe to the Crush Back Pain channel.
FAQs
Any exercise that works the trunk and hip girdle muscles without placing excessive forces through the lumbar spine is generally good for lower back pain.
Walking and lumbar stabilization training should be the foundation of any lower back pain exercise program.
When lower back pain is related to a herniated or bulging disc directional preference work is often effective. This simply entails determining what direction of lumbar movement decreases pain then using that directional movement as a therapeutic exercise.
Research shows that staying active and resuming regular activities is more effective at decreasing lower back pain compared to usual care. Usual care involves advice to rest and medications.
The best exercise for lower back pain is the exercise you can do without provoking activity limiting pain. This might be walking or specific lumbar stabilization training. It could be upper body training, like dips and pull-ups, while you let the lower back symptoms calm down some. It may be swimming.
Basically any exercise you can do that keeps the lumbar spine in a neutral position and involves the trunk, upper body, and lower body muscles is good. This is easy to figure out. The exercises that you’re able to do and that feel good, do. Any exercises that just don’t feel right or make your back more painful, don’t do yet. As the lower back heals and pain decreases reintroduce the exercises that you could not tolerate before.
Walking, lumbar stabilization training, directional preference work if a disc is involved. Any exercise that engages the core musculature and hip girdle musculature while maintaining the lumbar spine in a neutral position is usually good.
This could be anything from strength training to swimming. The key is to work on exercises that do not place excessive forces through the tissues of the lumbar spine.
Proven Herniated Disc Exercises covers the principles for designing an exercise program that is lower back friendly. A number of exercise examples are covered as well.
Truth be told, exercise equipment is usually not so great for lower back pain. The majority of exercise equipment requires the user to sit. Sitting places the lumbar spine in flexion. For most people with lower back pain sitting and exercising are not the best idea. Unless the person is over the age of 60-65 and has spinal stenosis, then it is usually fine. But for people that are 18-60 years old who have lower back pain seated exercise equipment is not the best option.
Lat pull downs and rows using pulley machines can be OK, but it’s important to maintain a neutral lumbar spine. Especially with the rows.
You can usually get away with leg extensions but the lumbar spine needs to be kept in neutral and not allowed to round out.
The leg press should be avoided as it places excessive flexion through the lumbar spine.
Any type of exercise machine that involves seated lumbar flexion/extension with resistance should be avoided.
Generally the best exercises for lower back pain involve moving the body through space with or without resistance from a barbell, dumbbell, or kettlebell. Opposed to being in a fixed position with a machine and moving the apparatus. Multi-joint, full body movements activate the core musculature and train your body to stabilize the spine through functional movement patterns.
Proven Herniated Disc Exercises covers the foundational principles of safe, effective exercise selection for people with lower back pain.
