Low Back Pain Exercise
Low back pain is one of the most common problems that chiropractors help people recover from. It is often related to the muscles in the back not behaving as they should. This can be caused by many factors but the two most common ones are lifestyle choices and posture. In the majority of low back pain complaints that we see in Surrey, the true cause of the pain can be traced back to similar problems.
Low back pain is an issue that is easily fixed, and prevented, with the help of home exercises. The following exercise is very simple, and when practised and performed daily can help to build a more injury resilient spine, and therefore keep you functioning at your best!
Bird Dog Exercise for Low Back Pain
Don’t be fooled by the unusual name of this exercise – it is very effective at reducing low back pain. The purpose of the Bird dog exercise is to improve the endurance capabilities of the “core”. These are the muscles deep to the spine and in the abdomen. These muscles tend to switch off after sitting or poor movements.
See this video for a demonstration and explanation of how to perform the exercise:
In summary, to perform this low back pain exercise:
- Get on the floor with your knees under your hips and your hands shoulder width apart.
- Keep the spine neutral and the pelvis level to the shoulders at all times.
- Maintain a firm abdominal brace before starting to initiate movement of the arms or legs. This should feel as though you are blowing up a balloon or preparing to be punched in the stomach.
- While keeping the abdominal brace, slowly move one arm out in front of you while moving the opposite leg away from you.
- Keep the arm and leg in the extended position for a second or two, and then slowly bring the arm and leg back to neutral.
The above steps are one repetition, and this exercise is best performed with 12-20 repetitions on each side, done for three sets. However, as this exercise’s aim is to improve endurance, it is important that you do not feel too fatigued after each set. If you feel you cant complete 12 repetitions on each side without shaking and falling over, make the exercise easier. This can be done by only moving your legs, keeping your arms stationary. This will allow you to improve the endurance of the muscles we are targeting, without getting too fatigued and using other muscles instead of the ones we are trying to train.
Conclusion
Hopefully this has been a helpful insight into one of the most common home exercises given by chiropractors for low back pain. For more information about low back pain, visit our page here. If you are having any difficulties with the exercise, please feel free to comment below or contact us at our clinic in Walton on the Hill if you have any other worries.
