How to Exercise and Avoid Back Pain
Regular exercise should be a crucial part of your daily routine. Any form of exercise is great for your mental and physical health and is something that you should not avoid. However, when you exercise, you need to make sure that you carry it out safely. If you do not, you put yourself at risk of injury, which can sometimes be long-lasting or permanent, especially if the injury you have experienced was in your back. Back pain is common and the cause of it is different in everyone. It can get better over time, but learning how to exercise and avoid back pain is the better option, so today, we will be taking a closer look into how to do so.
Avoid Certain Exercises.
Exercise can reduce pain in your lower back, but not every exercise is beneficial and some can actually aggravate the pain. For example, standing toe touches, dead lifts, leg lifts and sit-ups put a lot of strain on your back ligaments and discs, which can lead to damage when they are not carried out correctly. Instead, you should look into alternatives that work the same muscles without straining your back.
Do Your Stretches.
Whether you want to avoid lower back pain or you already suffer from it, doing the right stretches before and after you exercise will calm spasms in your lower back and reduce the risk of injuries. To be extra safe, you should start every morning and evening doing simple stretches to start your day. This will prepare your back muscles for the day and relax them before you rest.
Take Rest Days .
If you religiously work out, but you experience back pain often, you should not work through it and take a rest day instead. Rest days are essential for muscle growth and repair, which will allow you to perform your best during your next training session. During your rest days, you can still do gentle stretching and continue eating a lot of protein, because protein is vital for muscle growth and repair.
Check Your Mattress.
Getting the right amount of high-quality sleep is essential, whether you do or don’t exercise and the mattress you sleep on plays a big part in that. If you choose to sleep on an unsupportive mattress, then you will put yourself at risk of experiencing back pain from the moment you wake up. If this is the case, then you should look into the best mattress for dealing with back pain and purchase it.
Work on Posture .
Incorporating exercise that benefits your posture during your workout regimen is an effective way to prevent and avoid back pain. Bad posture is often a culprit of back pain, especially if that person is overweight. If you notice that you slouch often or you work at a desk, then you should definitely make time to practice good posture by standing up straight and lining up your shoulders, hips and knees.
Wear Supportive Shoes.
The shoes you wear when you workout play a big part in the number of injuries you put yourself at risk of during physical activity and are often overlooked. Wearing the right shoes will absorb the impact and stress from repetitive strikes against the floor, which wear out the back muscles and compress the spine. When purchasing your shoes, make sure they are the right fight and they support your back.
Avoiding lower back pain during exercise does not have to be difficult. If you follow the above steps and are unfortunate enough to experience back pain that doesn’t disappear after a few days, then you need to speak to your doctor for advice and support.
