Easing Lower Back Pain with Aerobic Exercise

Lower back pain may make you inclined to simply rest and move as little as possible. This is fine for a day or two, but after that inactivity may make recovery actually take longer and make your pain worse. Instead, low-impact aerobic exercise that encourages lower back movement can help you rehabilitate your back, regain your motion, and relieve your pain.

Aerobic exercise is a great way to encourage blood flow, which moves oxygen and nutrients to the muscles in your back, which helps the damaged muscle tissues rebuild themselves, decreasing stiffness. It also encourages the production of endorphins, which can help naturally fight pain sensations and reduce your dependency on pain medications.

Here are four aerobic exercises that can help you relieve your pain:

• Walking – While jogging and running can both cause extra stress to knees, ankles, hips, and other joints, particularly after recovering from a back injury, walking at a brisk pace is much easier on the body and strengthens many of these muscles. It also encourages good posture and flexibility.
• Water therapy – Many gyms have a pool where they offer water aerobics classes. Water’s buoyancy helps to reduce the impact of these exercise, and in many cases a heated pool can also help relieve the pain in your muscles.
• Stationary bike – A stationary bike is a very-low impact method of exercising that encourages buildup of leg, calf, and many other muscles. It also encourages the blood flow which can help you rebuild damaged back muscle tissue.
• Elliptical trainer – An elliptical trainer simulates a walking motion, which allows your back to flex and strengthen itself. It also naturally encourages good posture.

It’s not good to immediately jump into an intense multi-hour workout if you’re coming off a lower-back injury, even if you regularly train at intense levels. Instead, slowly begin to ease yourself back into the routine of working out: do one of these exercises for 20 minutes per day for five days. If you can’t do 20 minutes, start lower and work your way up. Likewise, if you ever feel as though your back pain is getting worse, stop exercising and immediately consult a Bolingbrook chiropractor.

If you are experiencing persistent lower back pain, don’t resort to costly or risky surgery without contacting ProMED Pain Rehabilitation Institute. We have had an overwhelming amount of success helping patients relieve their pain without costly and invasive surgical procedures, and may be able to help you too.