Back Exercises for the Lower Back

Exercises for the Lower Back

Back exercises for your lower back are usually necessary after a lower back injury or strain. Regular exercises to restore your lower back strength and a gradual return to everyday activities are important for your full recovery. You should perform your back exercises 10 to 30 minutes a day 1 to 3 times a day during your early recovery. A physical therapist or other health professional should be able to suggest back exercises which are specific to the needs of your lower back. Some of the exercises they may suggest will be tailored to strengthen your abdomen and oblique muscles as well as the buttocks and the back of your legs. Your lower back exercise regimen should also include stretching exercises restore your range of movement and general flexibility. In addition to aiding your healing process, back exercises will also bring improvements in your posture, work endurance and athletic performance. Particularly for patients with ongoing lower back problems, back exercises can also help prevent future injuries to your lower back.

Back Exercises for a Healthy Back

Back exercises are usually undertaken by a person with a back injury, who wishes to regain a healthy back. An injured back is usually a back with weak or injured muscles in one area and disproportionately strong muscles in another. The back exercises recommended for back injury patients should be tailored to their condition, instead of the condition of someone with a healthy back. Targeted back exercises not only help strengthen individual muscles, but, when used as a comprehensive program, will also correct muscular imbalances which can lead to or prolong back injury. A healthy back is a strong and well-proportioned back, and the right program of targeted back exercises can transform an injured back into a healthy one. Stretching exercises also contribute to overall back health. If a regimen of back exercises focuses on building strength but ignores flexibility, then the result will not be a healthy back, but a strong and inflexible one instead. If you are recovering from a back strain or back injury, then you should work closely with a physical therapist or other health professional to find the right back exercises for you.

Back Exercises for Posture Support

When you think of back exercises, do you think of strengthening your back, stretching your back, or establishing posture support? If you don’t consider all three of these outcomes, you’re not doing the correct back exercises. Muscle strength is handy, and there are many targeted back exercises to strengthen your muscles. Flexibility is important as well, and many back stretching exercises can help with that. The key to a good back exercise program, though, is to establish posture support. We use the term “posture support” because one of the jobs that your muscles have is to properly support your back and torso in a way that enhances your posture. Your muscles need to be strong enough to carry the weight of your torso, and the strength must be balanced to support a good posture. Your muscles also should also be flexible enough to allow your to move correctly and maintain the natural curves in your spine. Having the correct posture and the muscles needed to support it will result in a healthy back which is less prone to injury. Creating a tailored program of back exercises which improve your posture support will make it easier to maintain a healthy back and a healthy lifestyle.