Women's Exercise Tips: Exercise For Backbone Pain

Exercise For Backbone Pain

What is back pain?

Everyone's back pain is different. For some people, back pain involves mild pain (nuisance pain, aching, soreness). For other people, back pain involves severe pain (pain that hurts all the time, even when resting).

Most doctors refer to back pain as acute (generally severe, but short-lived), sub acute or chronic (long-lasting or occurring often). Acute back pain usually lasts from one to seven days. Pain may be mild or severe and occasionally may be caused by an accident or injury. About 80 percent of all back pain is acute. Sub acute back pain usually lasts from seven days to seven weeks and usually is mild; occasionally it's severe. This pain generally is unrelated to other illnesses you may have. About 10 to 20 percent of all back pain is sub acute. Chronic back pain usually lasts more than three months and maybe mild or severe. It may be related to other illnesses you may have or may have no identifiable cause. About five to 10 percent of all back pain is chronic.

Spine experts agree that physical activity is important for people with low back pain. This brochure will show you how to stay activewhile controlling your pain, and how proper activity may help protect against recurring back pain.

Your health care provider’s goals in treating
your low back pain include:
• Communicate well;
• Explain and reassure you about your
condition;
• Reduce your fears;
• Promote physical activity;
• Teach proper exercise;
• Improve body mechanics; and
• Avoid prolonged use of passive therapies.

What Kind of Exercise Should Be Done?

So how do you stay physically active without making your pain worse? Many people are
surprised to learn that carefully selected exercises can reduce pain. Some of the exercises in this
brochure can provide quick and significant relief,speeding recovery.Once pain lessens or disappears, other exercisescan help restore back movement and core musclestrength. These will help you reach full recoveryand protect against recurring pain. Many doctors think an increase in pain during activity is okay as long as that increase doesn’t continue aftercompleting
the activity. So try to stay active. Remember, this is only a guide. Not all exercises are appropriate for everyone. If you experience substantially more pain while exercising, discontinue and let your health care provider know.

Where Should You Begin?*

Figure 1. Walking:
Begin with 10 minutes
and increase to
30 minutes or more.
Increase distance and
pace as tolerated.

Figure 2. Standing Extension:
Place hands with fingers in the
small of back. Bend backward
as far as tolerated, pressing
inward with fingers. Hold for
1-2 seconds. Repeat 10 times,
trying to bend further each
time. Unless pain gets worse,
repeat every 2 hour s.

Figure 3. Face Down on Elbows: Raise up
on elbows, letting the low back sag. Hold for
10 seconds. Repeat 3 times. Unless pain gets
worse, repeat every 2 hours.

Figure 4. Press-up: Push upward with arms, letting the low

back sag. Hold for1-2 seconds. Return to lying position.Repeat10

times witha deeper sag eachtime. Unless paingets worse, repeat
every 2 hours.

Figure 5. Single Knee-to-Chest: Pull one
knee up to the chest and gently pull for 10 seconds.
Repeat 3 times. Do this for each leg.

Figure 6. Double Knee-to-Chest:
Pull both knees up to the chest and
gently pull for 10 seconds. Repeat
3 times. Be sure pain is not getting
worse. Unless pain is getting worse,
perform 2-3 times per day.