Back Pain Relief Exercise Myths!When you have back pain, relief is what you are looking for. When you have back pain, exercise is probably the last thing you want to do. Let's dispel some of the myths about back pain and exercise.
Myth: Most people think that back pain relief comes from resting so that you give your back time to heal.
Reality: In just 48 hours the muscles that support the back begin to atrophy or weaken, which makes it even more important to keep moving and doing some form of back pain exercise. This back pain relief exercise may be just some light stretching or walking around to keep circulation of blood in the muscles and to prevent further atrophy of the muscles. It's not a race, just slow gradual progression of walking and stretching to the point of pain, but not into your pain. Never overdo! Just start with 5-10 minutes of walking and if you feel o.k. the next day, try it again and then a little more.
Myth: Most of us believe that these belts around our midsection will help support our backs. Well...O.K., they are keeping us upright and supported while making us aware of our back problems, but you can't wear it your whole life. You aren't going to wear it to the beach, or in the shower, or when you roll over in bed...are you? People that work in jobs where they are doing heavy lifting or driving heavy equipment are tricked into thinking they are protecting themselves against injury by wearing these belts.
These belts actually prevent the abdominal muscles from developing and getting stronger through regular use. The belts can actually cause atrophy in the muscles from disuse just like if you were resting. If you are using a weight belt currently the best thing you can do is to wean yourself off of it gradually. Start doing some core strengthening exercises every other day when you are not wearing it. After a couple of weeks experiment with working without it for a day and see how you feel the next day. If you are still sore then try wearing it for half a day and continue doing the abdominal or core strengthening exercises. You can find loads of great core and back pain relief exercises in the Pilates ebook available here.
Myth: Doing crunches or sit ups will help to save our backs because we are strengthening our abdominal muscles. Reality: The old school sit-ups and crunches are not as effective as we once thought. Remember in P.E class how we'd take turns holding each other's feet while the other person would jerk themselves up to a sit as fast as they could to break the old sit up record. Old style sit-ups actually use the hip flexors and erector spinae(the back) more than the abdominal muscles. This pulls on the muscles of the back incurring strain. Crunches generally work the superficial rectus abdominus muscles, which do nothing to help support our spines. Pilates exercises are most effective at working the deep transverse abdominal muscles that support our spines. The flattening effect that you get in the abs from doing rollups, single leg stretch, the hundreds, just to name a few are the most effective way to have a strong midsection and, in effect a supported back. Find loads of pictures and descriptions of Pilates back pain relief exercise that will help save your back and strengthen your core in the new ebook available here.
Myth: You can’t have a herniated disc without pain. Reality: Many people have herniated discs and don’t even know it. They have no pain and the x-rays may come out normal or abnormal. The problem here is that back pain exercise that involves twisting and side bending can start out with no pain or negative consequences but eventually may turn into a more serious threat. Doing Pilates exercises today can help to prevent and ward off any future problems associated with a herniated disc leading to pain and possibly surgery. Check out this article to find out more about Common Pilates exercises and how to avoid injury.
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