The Top 10 Best Exercises for Back Pain.

Swimming is like sex. A total body work-out.

Louis Shalako

Here are my Top Ten picks for the best exercises for back pain.

Bear in mind that a severe injury requires long-term rehabilitation, and it may be unwise to begin an exercise program at the height of the simplest lumbar spasm or back strain.

Consult your physician before beginning any exercise program especially if you’re doing it for remedial reasons.

The author’s perspective is that of a person with three compression fractures at L-3, L-4, and the T-6 vertebral level. T-6 also has a 2.5 cm hemangioma (benign tumor) on the left side of the central (posterio-lateral) process. What this means is that pole-sanding drywall or similar activities can irritate this radial nerve centre, right between my shoulder blades, causing chest-encircling pain similar to angina. Due to the L-3 and L-4 injuries, bending over to pick up a penny can send the author into lumbar spasms, and lifting heavy objects is, shall we say, ‘contra-indicated.’ Walking, sleeping, or even just sitting on the toilet can be painful when the injuries flare up.

That being said, the original injury occurred May 4, 1989, so I’ve had time to learn a lot about it, including how to manage it and cope with it. While it did change my life in some pretty negative ways, nothing’s ever going to be perfect, is it? You just have to keep it in perspective. I much prefer being a writer anyway.

Walking. Walking is recommended as a treatment. While walking, the body is upright, which strengthens the lower back muscles and the area of the pelvic girdle. It also goes towards aerobic fitness and general, overall conditioning.

Stretching. Stretching can sometimes help alleviate back pain. It can also help prevent recurring injury or irritation of affected areas. Professional athletes stretch before any sporting activity and there is a good reason for this. It gets the muscles and the joints ready for action, and pre-stretches the ligaments. It gets the circulation going, and it prevents cramping or more serious injuries. If you experience pain during stretching, it’s an indication that things are not well. It’s your body saying, “Maybe you should take it a little easier today.”

Cycling. When cycling, the upper body is supported by the handle-bars. The feet and legs are supported by the pedals and the seat. The torso is supported by the seat. The motions of the legs are rotational. It is a much lower-impact activity than running, jogging, or other more vigorous sports. I started off cycling, believe it or not, practicing ten or fifteen minutes per session, in the tennis courts behind the place where I lived at the time. The first time I ever rode my bike downtown and returned, about 4.5 kilometres, was a major victory for me. Nine years later, my first ride of the season was longer than that and I’m happy enough in that it didn’t cause much pain except for a little stiffness and soreness in the lower back and hips. Cycling much farther would have been a different story. It’s a question of finding your limits, but gently. And then, gently, pushing them a little bit further each time you go out. If it’s too much, back off and slow down for a few days. The results, over the long term, are definitely worthwhile. And yes, sometimes there is a little suffering in there as well. I actually disagree with this article, but they are referring to healthy (and young) individuals when they say cycling doesn’t strengthen core body muscles. If you have not been exercising at all, and suffer from poor muscle tone in the core body area, cycling is less likely to irritate an injury, (compared to jogging, say,) — going by the article, where it says, ‘Cycling does not strengthen core body muscles.’ So it’s not going to irritate them either. Also, bearing in mind my own injuries at the L-3 and L-4 level, bending the spine takes pressure off, and sitting on the seat also takes pressure off. I can walk anywhere from 750 metres to 1250 metres, on a good day, before I start to get the early-warning sensations of impending lower back pain. I can ride my bike, on a good day, fifteen or twenty kilometres before I really start to feel it. Simply put, I can ride my bike to the beach, I can’t walk there. Ever. That’s why cycling is recommended, but consult your own physician prior to any exercise program.

Swimming. Swimming is low-impact, and the body is supported by its own buoyancy in the water. It’s a workout for all muscle groups. It’s fairly heavy exertion nevertheless, which helps in building muscle tone. It’s great for overall conditioning and aerobic fitness. In my own case, it’s wonderful for a feeling of fitness, even of accomplishment. It’s a manly thing, to dive in like Tarzan and swim a couple of hundred metres without touching bottom. I kind of like that feeling. “Swimming is a prime rehabilitation tool for back injuries.” ‘Nuff said.

Tai Chi. It's good for balance, overall conditioning, mental health, and posture. It encourages centring in movement, that is to say keeping the centre of gravity low and taking a proper stance when required. It clears the mind and calms the inner voice.

Weight training. Seriously, but don’t try to clean and jerk 350 lbs. the first time out of the box. I had forty pounds on the bar, (this was years ago now) and the first few times I would do five repetitions of any exercise. I was never a ‘weight-lifter,’ nor do I wish to be referred to as one. I was ‘exercising.’ But, I injured myself often enough, even in just developing a routine, that I got rid of the set and have no regrets. Now I have a heavy hand-squeezer, (a spring-loaded device), and one ten-pound dumbbell. A few simple exercises and my heart is thumping and my respiration is elevated. So is my circulation. I have six or seven exercises that I do once in a while. I don’t do more than ten repetitions of any of them. The most often you should ever exercise with weights is about every second or third day. In the article the gentleman advocates side-crunches. Think long and hard before you do more than three or four of them, especially when first starting off.

Yoga. I’ve done some of the exercises, the Cobra for example. Recommended.

Yoga may help with back pain. > Trollderella.

Golf. I’m not a golfer, so I have no experience with this. However, you’re going for a long walk. You’ll be doing some stretches and warm-up exercises, and as part of your week, eighteen holes of golf isn’t going to hurt you if you take care to stretch and warm up first. If you’re in a lot of pain, skip it and wait until next time. The link shows two good stretching exercises that apply to other sports and situations as well. If nothing else, standing around for part of the time is better than sitting all the time. Putting a little thought into the swing and the stance might actually help your game, along with some simple and ‘light’ weight training. I’m a firm advocate of doing clusters of sports, if you can manage it. I walk and hike, ride the bike, and swim. Anything else would be a bonus. None of it costs much money.

Hydrotherapy. When I was in hydrotherapy, there was a small wading pool, where the water was quite warm. For me the perfect bath temperature would be about 106 F, and this wading pool wasn’t quite that hot. The actual pool was at least eighty degrees Fahrenheit. Most of the class consisted of elderly people, (mostly women), who had absolutely no muscle tone at all. There was one gentleman who had undergone a double lung transplant, which you could see by the scars on his back and the bumps where the saw-cuts in the ribcage had healed. For people absolutely out of physical condition, the exercises were very gentle, and sessions of about a half an hour were plenty.

Photo by New Zealand Defence Force.

Gymnastics. I’m not suggesting that you leap and fling yourself about when you’re suffering from a back injury. Simply using the parallel bars, or holding yourself up on the rings with arms rigid, might be of some benefit as it definitely strengthens core body muscle groups. All of the stretches listed here are good and you can throw them into the mix from time to time. Even I can walk on a parallel beam, and it’s good for balance and stuff like that. It’s good for the mental health in some ways as well.

Physical Therapy. For best results, physical therapy should be undertaken as soon as possible after a serious back or spinal injury occurs. It should always be done by licensed workers and under the care of your personal physician.

Alernative Sports.

Wall-climbing under professional supervision.

Canoeing and Kayaking. Advice: take it slow and easy, wear a life-jacket and stay close to shore. Learn a little something about life-saving and first aid before you get too ambitious.

Softball, T-ball, Two-Pitch, any of the fun games where winning isn’t necessarily the primary focus. If you can stand to run from twenty to fifty yards without major discomfort, it at least gets you outdoors and into the fresh air and sunshine. A buddy of mine used to have his own two-pitch league or something. He didn’t make a whole lot of money at it, but he was in charge of prizes and throwing the year-end banquet. By all accounts it was a pretty good party and he got in for free and everything.

Sailing. On a boat, you won’t be leaping and running about, but it’s a good healthy workout nevertheless. Wear a life-jacket. I’ve sailed Petrels, Pelicans, Sunfish and Lasers, I’ve conned a Grampian 30. That’s about it.

Skate-boarding. Unfortunately, this one seems to be high-impact for a lot of people. And yet just getting about by skateboard looks like a remarkably healthy way of life.

Skating. Whether ice or roller skating on conventional ‘square’ skates or roller-blades, it’s much lower in impact (once you learn how to stay up on them) than running or jogging. It’s an excellent cardiovascular workout. You should be stroking edges rather than slamming back to the ground at every step, right? It’s all about smoothness and technique, energy management. I’ve seriously considered rollerblades, but I don’t know…at 54 years old, that one’s a bit of a stretch.

Cross-country skiing. It takes a bit of technique, and it’s one hell of an aerobic workout, but the only time I ever injured myself cross-country skiing was when, a.) I fell or b.) I got a little too ambitious and didn’t quit when I should have. But I used to go out behind my house and ski perhaps a kilometre. I had little circuit and by the time I got home, it really felt like I had gotten some exercise. As for the occasional comments from high-school kids and other knuckleheads, who really cares what they think anyways?

Throw a Frisbee.

Take dance lessons.

Play catch with the dog.

Sex. Seriously. Like swimming, it’s all all-over work-out, and generally-speaking, doesn’t require the purchase of a lot of special equipment.

Good luck with the program and take care of yourself. You’re worth it.