You rise from the chair and suddenly feel a painful twinge in the back. You think it will subside, and leisurely stretch your arms, when another pain shoots through the upper back. Then, you realize that it’s a ‘simple’ back pain and give a little smile. It will go in sometime, u start thinking. Instead, it follows you wherever you go. You are not alone in this. Almost everyone, at one point of time or the other, has faced such a scenario. Pains in the lower nape, shoulders, upper back and lower back, all characterize the dreaded back pain. If you work for too long, sleep too much, stand for too long, or sit too much - always remember that back pain is around the corner. The trick is not to over exert the back, as the spine is a complex system of nerves, which are very susceptible to stress. Back pain is rarely lethal, but if uncontrolled, it can become chronic, lasting more than twelve weeks as well. Specific exercises are designed to relieve the tension in the back nerves. Therefore, if you suffer from back pain and want to control it, this article is right for you. Go through the following lines to learn the various exercises that can help to alleviate back pain.
Exercises For Back Pain Relief
Dumbbell Row Exercise
- Lie on your stomach, on an exercise ball.
- Take two dumbbells in both of your hands and lift.
- Extend as far back as you can, to build pressure on the back muscles.
- Bring down the dumbbells slowly.
- Do this exercise in several sets a day.
Extension Exercise
- Lie on an exercise mat, with the legs stretched back and arms on the side.
- Now, lift the chest using the lower back muscles and keep it up for as much time as you can, without straining, and then slowly bring the chest down.
- You can also balance your chest by putting your elbows by your side.
- While going up, exhale and inhale while coming down. Don’t exert your neck muscles by using them to lift your chest up.
Planks Exercise
- Lie flat on your face and stomach. Using your toes, elbows and forearm, lift yourself up.
- Go down again.
- Repeat a couple of times.
Exercise Ball Crunches Exercise
- Lie down on an exercise ball on your back, with the feet on the floor.
- Using the abdominal muscles, lift your shoulders and upper back and hold that position for several seconds.
- Repeat the exercise four to five times.
Rotation Stretch Exercise
- Fold your arms on your chest and stand straight.
- Rotate the shoulders to one side, twisting the back so that you feel a slight tension and hold the position for 45 seconds.
- Repeat it for the other side.
- You can do this exercise either sitting or standing.
Hamstring Stretch Exercise
- Sit on an exercise mat, extend one leg and fold the other.
- Extend the arms and slowly bend the back, so that you touch the toes with your extended hands.
- Hold it for a few seconds and repeat with the other leg.
Abdominal Crunch Exercise
- The abdominal crunch exercise helps in relieving back pain by strengthening the abdominal muscles.
- Lie on your back and put your legs, until the knees, on a chair.
- Fold your palms under your head and slowly rise up and down to perform crunches.
Bicycle Exercise
- Fold your arms behind your back and lie down on your back.
- Bend the left leg by keeping the right leg straight.
- Bring the left leg towards the right elbow and do the same for the right leg, to resemble a peddling motion.
- Repeat a number of times.
Side Bending Exercise
- Put your hands on your hips, by bending the elbows.
- Bend the upper part of the body to one side and hold the position.
- Repeat for the next side.
- You can also hold your palms together, extend them over the head and then do the bending.
Note
- While doing these exercises, take care not to overexert.