General Back Exercises
Muscular stretching can be a very important part of the healing process for
tightened muscles of the back. It is essential to lengthen any
shortened muscular tissue of the back to help prevent further pulling on the
already shortened fibers. Muscular strengthening exercises will be
important once the back irritation has subsided. Back strengthening exercises help
to build stability to weak tissue. It is important to note that irritated
muscles can become further damaged with strengthening exercises that are
premature to the healing of the area. The exercises below are general exercises to increase
flexibility and can help to stabilize the back. However, it should
be noted that for most of these exercises, you should not feel the stretch in
the back itself. For example, the back of the legs have a group of muscles
called the hamstrings. These muscles originate in the lower pelvis and
insert into the leg. When the hamstrings are tight, the back itself
can be tightened due to the pulling on the pelvis. Therefore,
stretching the hamstrings will not only loosen the leg muscles up but they will
take the strain off the back.
Each picture below
depicts the exercise being performed properly. The arrows are the
direction the body will need to move towards to get the correct angles.
The red circles indicate the area of which you should feel the stretch.
Warning:
*The following back exercises should never be performed if they
cause irritation to your back or any other condition while they are being
performed! As each back condition is different, always
consult your doctor before performing any of these exercises to determine what
exercises, if any, are right for your particular condition. If you have any discomfort after performing any of these
exercises, discontinue and immediately and consult a doctor to properly assess
your situation.*
Sit-ups
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Sit-up exercises should be done very precisely to avoid any
traction to the spine. Place your knees up on a chair, with your legs and
hips at a 90 degree angle. Support your neck but don't pull on it as you
raise your upper chest, no more than 30 degrees. Look straight up with your
eyes to keep from pulling forward on the head. Do 3 sets of 12 reps, or to
your individual tolerance. It is important to concentrate on feeling the
strain in your abdominal muscles and not your neck or back. Any pain
you feel with this exercise should only be a local muscle exercising sensation to the
abdominal area, without aggravating your condition.
Hamstring Stretch
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Sitting on the ground, with one leg straight and the other one
comfortably bent in front of your body, bend at the waist and lean forward,
keeping your back as straight as possible. Reach with your arms towards
the foot until a stretch is felt under your thigh. Hold each stretch for a
minimum of 30 seconds, any less than 15 seconds and the muscle will not conform
to the new increase in length. Do 3 reps, 3-6 times a day. Any pain
you feel with this exercise should only be a local stretching sensation to the
back of your thigh area, without aggravating your condition.
Back Flexion Stretch
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While lying on your back, pull both knees to your chest while
simultaneously flexing your head forward until you reach a comfortable stretch
in a balled-up position. Do 8-12 repetitions this way holding each one for
8-10 seconds at a time. You should feel no pain with this exercise, as the
stretch is designed to relieve tension on the back.
Exercise Ball
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Exercise balls have been around for awhile, but are gaining in
popularity with health practitioners due to the many benefits derived from it's
use. Just simply sitting on the ball requires use of postural
muscles. Therefore, a person can sit on an exercise ball while they are
performing normal tasks such as using the computer and reading, all the while
strengthening their spine. Simply bouncing up and down on the ball will
help increase proprioceptive input to the spine. Proprioception is what
helps keep your muscles coordinated and thereby promotes spinal stability.
Current research demonstrates that increasing proprioceptive input can help
reduce the likelihood of injuring an area. We highly recommend the
Exerflex ball package (depicted below), as it is the only adjustable exercise
ball on the market, and therefore a perfect fit for everybody.
Click Here to to purchase the
recommended Exerflex ball, pump,
and exercise video found at Relief-Mart.
Gluteus Stretch
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Lying down on your back, bend your right knee, and place your
left leg over the right leg, resting the outside of the left ankle slightly
above the right knee. Place your right hand around the outside of your
right thigh and place the left hand around the inside of your right thigh.
Lock the two hands together. Now pull forward towards your chest to
achieve a stretch in the left gluteus portion of your buttocks. Do the
exact opposite to achieve a stretch of the right gluteus portion of the
buttocks. Hold each
stretch for a minimum of 30 seconds, any less than 15 seconds and the muscle
will not conform to the new increase in length. Do 3 reps, 3-6 times a
day. Any pain you feel with this exercise should only be a local
stretching sensation to the back of your thigh and buttocks area, without aggravating your
condition.
Piriformis Stretch
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Lying down on your back, bend your right leg and pull up your
right knee towards your opposite chest with your left hand. You
should feel the stretch in the Piriformis portion of the right buttocks.
Do the exact opposite to achieve a stretch of the left Piriformis portion of the
buttocks. Hold each
stretch for a minimum of 30 seconds, any less than 15 seconds and the muscle
will not conform to the new increase in length. Do 3 reps, 3-6 times a
day. Any pain you feel with this exercise should only be a local
stretching sensation to the back of your thigh and buttocks area, without aggravating your
condition.
Back Extension McKenzie Exercise
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While lying on your stomach, push up your chest only with
both hands simultaneously while keeping your pelvis flat against the floor.
Push your back up until you reach a comfortable stretch
in the extended position. Do 8-12 repetitions while holding each one for
8-10 seconds at a time. This is the same type of exercise developed by
McKenzie to allow the discs of the spine to shift away from the nerve roots.
However, this exercise also puts your spine in more extension and can exacerbate
conditions like Facet Syndrome and Spondylolisthesis, where the spine is easily
compressed in extension. Therefore this exercise should not be performed
unless in these types of conditions unless expressly recommended by your
doctor. You should feel no pain with this exercise, only
a pulling up of the spine as the back goes into extension
TFL Stretch
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Start with stretching the TFL portion of the left hip and outside
thigh. While standing, hold your left hand securely on a solid surface to
support your body as you place your left leg past your right until you reach a
maximum stretch. Follow this with tilting your upper back to the right
side while simultaneously pushing the left side of the hip. Do the exact
opposite to achieve a stretch of the right TFL portion of the hip and outside
thigh. Hold each
stretch for a minimum of 30 seconds, any less than 15 seconds and the muscle
will not conform to the new increase in length. Do 3 reps, 3-6 times a
day. Any pain you feel with this exercise should only be a local
stretching sensation to the TFL portion of the hip and outside thigh, without aggravating your
condition.
Calf Stretch
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Start with stretching the right Gastrocnemius portion of the
right calf area. While standing, place your right leg in front of you and your
left foot directly behind you. Place the toes of your right forefoot up
against a door or other flat wall surface, keeping your heel down to the floor.
Lean your upper body forward to place a stretch on the back of the calf.
Do the exact opposite to achieve a stretch of the left calf area. Hold each
stretch for a minimum of 30 seconds. Any less than 15 seconds and the muscle
will not conform to the new increase in length. Do 3 reps, 3-6 times a
day. Any pain you feel with this exercise should only be a local
stretching sensation to the calf area of the leg, without aggravating your
condition.
Psoas Stretch
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Start with stretching the right Psoas muscle. While
standing, place your right leg in front of you and your left foot directly
behind you as far as you can comfortably stretch it. Shift your lower body
forward, while simultaneously pushing your upper body backwards with your arms.
Do the exact opposite to achieve a stretch of the right Psoas portion of your front upper thigh area. Hold each
stretch for a minimum of 30 seconds. Any less than 15 seconds and the muscle
will not conform to the new increase in length. Do 3 reps, 3-6 times a
day. Any pain you feel with this exercise should only be a local
stretching sensation to the Psoas area of the upper thigh, without aggravating your
condition.
Quadriceps Stretch
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Start with stretching the left Quadriceps muscle. While
standing hold a solid surface for support and bend back your left leg.
Grab your left ankle and pull that foot to your left buttocks while
simultaneously pulling your left thigh backwards while keeping your back
straight. Pulling your thigh backwards is a very important part of this
stretch, as it will place the stretch in the mid-thigh instead of overloading
the pressure on the knee. Do the exact opposite to achieve a stretch of
the right Psoas portion of your front upper thigh area. Hold each
stretch for a minimum of 30 seconds. Any less than 15 seconds and the muscle
will not conform to the new increase in length. Do 3 reps, 3-6 times a
day. Any pain you feel with this exercise should only be a local
stretching sensation to the Quadriceps muscle area of the upper thigh, without aggravating your
condition.
Disc Traction Belt Exercises
The Disc-Traction® belt is an innovative
product we found that offers the ability to mobilize and strengthen the spinal
musculature, while simultaneously decompressing the lumbar joints. There
are a series of given exercises that come with each belt purchase (see the link
below for more information).
Click Here
- to purchase the recommended
lumbar exercise, support and traction belt found at
Relief-Mart
*For more exercises and helpful information from Dr. Rick
Swartzburg, D.C., you can now pick up an online copy of:
You Don't Have to Live With
Pain, authored by Dr. Rick Swartzburg, D.C. With over
22 easy to use
illustrated exercises
of the upper and lower body, you can get instant online information about
painful conditions, treatment options, and preventative procedures to help you
avoid living with pain. You can purchase this book online instantly at our sponsor site
Relief-Mart.
