Can Exercise Banish Lower Back Pain?

It’s estimated that 2.5 million people in the UK experience back pain on any given day. That’s a shocking figure, but the good news is that movement can often alleviate the problem. Although it must be movement that’s managed correctly.
Do you suffer with lower back pain? If so, can anything be done to alleviate it?

At our Personal Training Gym, we support clients with all kinds of spinal issues, from fused spines to herniated disks to inflamed facet joints.

Here are our top 6 essential pointers for anyone experiencing lower back pain and wanting to train:

1. Work in ranges of motion you can control

Not everyone can exercise in the same way; our skeletal structures vary, and different bone lengths create different levers. Our flexibility also differs; every joint has its movement limit. We must be aware of our capabilities and, when necessary, reduce the range of motion in an exercise to avoid aggravating injuries.

2. Reduce axial loading

Axial loading is weight that compresses the spine and something that back pain sufferers should avoid or reduce. For example, when using barbells, you should work with your trainer to load each exercise correctly. And remember that progressing an exercise doesn’t always mean putting a heavier weight on your back.

3. Warm up properly

Mobilising your joints and performing a couple of sets to activate your muscles helps to stabilise the lower back before a training session. Our glutes and abs are notoriously slow to get going because of the percentage of our lives spent seated.

Which leads us on to our next point…

4. Sit less

It may seem fairly obvious and it will come as no surprise to most, but we are not designed to sit down for prolonged periods of time. But most of us do exactly that (and often it’s due to our jobs so it can’t be helped)

But you can do something about it, and it’s simple – get out of your chair as often as you can. Even if it’s consciously to get up and make a cup of tea, go to the bathroom, walk around when you’re on a call; set a reminder on your phone to get up every 20-30 minutes.

5.Strengthen your core

Core training should be a part of any training programme as a balanced approach and it should also be a focus if you are suffering from lower back pain – here are some of our favourite exercises if you have lower back pain that you can try too. It’ll help strengthen and support your spine and it will be good for you to get into the habit of doing these drills daily, not just as part of your exercise programme – to ensure you maintain a healthy and strong lower back and stay pain-free.

6. Improve your Posture

Posture, when you sit or stand, is one thing, posture, when you move around, is more important and it’s the area we focus on at W10. The efficiency of movement is key, you need to be conscious about the position of your back when you’re picking things up and moving around.

If we take the time to do some movement re-education training and learn how to move and exercise in the right way, whilst perhaps also targeting some specific muscles, we will probably find that this will go a long way towards alleviating any symptoms, as the right muscles start to become more active and our body becomes systemically stronger.

Hopefully, these tips help you with your lower back pain and becoming pain-free – give it a try.

Core Exercise for Lower Back Pain

If you need specialist support or would like to ask us any questions, please do get in touch.

If you have any questions on the above or would like some advice on how we could help you with your fitness goal, don’t hesitate, visit our London gyms and try one of our personal fitness training programmes.