bad back

wdeons
wdeons Posts: 21 Member
edited November 2023 in Fitness and Exercise
I need excercises, I have a bad back so I cant do to much aerobics. I can walk, I do a lot of that, would love to have a tred mill but thats not in the budget. any ideas what I can do

Replies

  • wdeons
    wdeons Posts: 21 Member
    I need excercises, I have a bad back so I cant do to much aerobics. I can walk, I do a lot of that, would love to have a tred mill but thats not in the budget. any ideas what I can do
  • tnkitty
    tnkitty Posts: 78 Member
    Yoga would be great, but only if your back problems are muscular. If it is a spine/bone problem yoga probably won't help much or even make it worse. But, keep that walking up! :-)
  • sflanny
    sflanny Posts: 5 Member
    I don't know where you live, but if you have access to a pool, that's the best exercise for a bad back. I have some great exercises that I got from my doctor, and they really make my back feel better so I am able to do more things. The North American Spine Society has a great website with a detailed list of exercises. It also has pictures to help you do them correctly. They really work if you do them! http://www.spine.org/articles/exercises.cfm
  • missjacki
    missjacki Posts: 51
    I have a bad back from work related problems, I think it is mostly muscular. I'm no personal trainer, but what I find is that I can still do many exercized with little modifications.

    In general I try and do dynamic exercizes where I use my own body weight instead of "weights" it seems harder to hurt myself this way. Push-ups, sit-ups, squats, lunges. Swiss balls are wonderfull additions.

    I still do some weight training, but I try to stick with light weights and many repitions...this ends up taking me longer to work out, but oh well.

    Anything where I lift weight over my head seems bad in general.

    Legs are pretty safe to workout without hurting my back (careful overloading the squat machines....but at a moderate weight, makes me feel good).

    Back workouts with weights seem fine, (such as lat pulls) in fact my PT encourages them as he thinks it will strengthen my back muscles over time so that the problem gets better...I kind of doubt it but if it doesn't hurt my back I'll do anything he tells me to.
  • brife17
    brife17 Posts: 37
    i was in physical therapy for my back as was my mom. lay on the floor and do pelvic lifts. 3 sets of 5 holding for 2 secs. if you dont know how to do them email me and i can help. @ cavsqueen23@hotmail.com. alsolay on your side, keep one hand on your hip holding it in place and twist like you would crack your back. 2 sets of 4 holding for 3 seconds.
    i hope this helps. please email me and i will be more than happy to send you more exercises that you can do. after a couple weeks maybe 2 if you do this at least 1-2 times a day your back will feel incredible.
    Bailey
  • brife17
    brife17 Posts: 37
    i aslo agree with missjacki but if you havent built yourself up to that yet you are safer doing these and then getting up to that level. email me
  • dmflynt
    dmflynt Posts: 196
    If you go to Google and type in "back exercises", you will get a lot of options for stretches and strengthening. Strengthening your "core" muscles is key, as is proper form and no jarring of the spine. I had lumbar fusion surgery last year, and used many of the exercises I found when I "googled" during my recovery. Walking is the best free option for aerobic activity.
  • Nich0le
    Nich0le Posts: 2,906 Member
    I had bad back problems for a few years. I started doing some mild back exercises using a yoga ball, take it in baby steps because you will have mild soreness after a few days. Put the yoga ball in front of you, get on your knees and lay your belly over the top, keep knees on the floor and once you have your balance start to raise your arms up and down. When you get used to this start to lift your arms and chest while keeping your abs on the ball.

    Walking regularly will help. After the yoga ball I found a video by Giam (not sure if I spelled it right), but you can get it at target and it is yoga for back strength and these moves were gentle enough to really break the cycle of back pain. Also there is an AM & PM yoga dvd that I use in the morning to get my body stretched out.

    Since doing this everyday I have been back pain free for over 3 years, but if I skip it for more than a day or 2 I do get a little stiff so I just stretch.

    Good luck, take it easy with your back you don't want to throw it out, I have done that and what a nightmare!!!
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