Back Pain Exercises - Part 1

We love helping our friends and neighbors in Edmond and Oklahoma City find relief from neck and back pain. We realized several years ago that the recurrence of pain was so common that we needed to educate patients on how they could self-care for lower back pain relief at home. A systematic review published in the August of 2022 by the International Journal of Sports Physical therapy concluded that core stabilization exercises should be considered a favorable method for treating non specific low back pain. A systematic review is a fancy term that means a summary of the published medical literature on a given subject. A recent publication means its relevant for our time.

Now we know that exercise is good for back pain you may be left wondering: “what exercises should I be doing for lower back pain relief?” Listen, if you have back pain please talk to your doctor. If you have tried back pain stretches, massage or other forms of home care and it made your condition worse please get checked by a competent chiropractor, physical therapist, orthopedist or sports medicine physician right away.

This post and the advice that follows assumes you are healthy enough for exercise and you’re being cared for by a competent doctor. Hopefully, a chiropractor in Edmond OK. You can read more about us here. First, I want to acknowledge a very important pioneer in this area, a man named Dr Stu McGill. Through his textbooks, lectures and websites he has popularized what he and many call the “Big 3”. The big three non-negotiable exercises for back pain are the curl-up, side plank and bird dog. I know what you’re thinking. It’s a silly name but once you see it you’ll understand why it’s called the bird dog. I’ll explain each exercise below as McGill does in his textbooks. Today, I’ll cover the proper way to perform the curl-up. Once you’ve mastered this exercise come back and read parts two and three where I’ll go into great detail about the side plank and bird dog.

You should know that these movements have been studied extensively as not to cause harm. If you have difficulty performing any of the following movements there are remedial corrective exercises that you must master before advancing. If you want to see how our unique and proven approach can help you find the relief you’ve been looking for then please click or call to book now. If you have questions call your favorite chiropractor in Edmond OK. Let’s begin.

Curl-up

This is the final position of the Curl-up. Image courtesy of Physitrack

Instructions

Lie on your back with one leg straight. Bend the other leg and plant the foot flat. Place your hands (palms down) under the lumbar spine. Begin by "BRACING" the abdominal muscles. Press your tongue into the roof of your mouth and take a deep breath. Raise your elbows slightly so they "FLOAT". Keep your eyes fixed on the ceiling above and lift your chest. DO NOT flex your neck. Practice deep breathing throughout the exercise. Count to 10 and return to the starting position.

Bracing

So what is bracing exactly? Bracing is the term to describe a slight abdominal contraction. Many well-intended coaches and personal trainers have instructed people for years to suck their belly in or bring your belly button to the spine. All such cues are not bracing. In fact they have been shown to deactivate the transverse abdominus. That’s a very important core muscle which provides stability to our torso and lower back. Some people find it helpful to imagine someone punching them in the stomach. Your instinctive reflex would be to tighten your abdomen. Additionally, someone who is constipated may experience a tightening of the abdomen while straining at the stool. Please do not burst a blood vessel here. You simply need to learn to “tune” your abdominal bracing for the activity. Gently brace to engage your abdomen prior to executing the curl-up as described above.

Sets & Reps

Descend your reps with each set. Begin with 5 repetitions for 8-10 second holds. Rest for 30 seconds between each set. Your second set is three (3) repetitions for 8-10 seconds. Rest for 30 seconds. Finally, your third set is one repetition for 10 seconds. See how you feel the following day and add one rep to each set but always pyramid down as described above.

If you want to see if our unique and proven method can help you find the relief you’ve been looking for then click or call 405-757-2079 to book now.