Vertebrae are stacked on top of each other throughout the spinal column and are separated by soft, flexible tissue called disks. According to the Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, a ruptured or herniated disk occurs when the center or nucleus of the disk pushes through its edge. This in turn leads to pressure on spinal nerves, which causes leg pain and numbness. Low-impact exercises can be used to help strengthen weak neighboring muscles and to keep the symptoms under control. Before you engage in any exercise, talk it over with your doctor.
Low-Impact Cardio
Exercises like running and jumping rope involve constant impact on the joints from the ankles right up to the neck. This makes them contraindicated when it comes to a ruptured disk. To achieve the health benefits of cardio, better options are walking, biking, swimming and elliptical training, all of which are low-impact. They also cause you to work your core muscles, which help support the spine.
Modified Plank
A modified plank works the abdominals without repetitive movement. To start out, lie on your stomach and place your knees and forearms on the floor. Carefully raise your hips off the floor and form a straight line from your head to your lower back. Without letting your elbows and knees slide, curl your midsection slightly and squeeze your abs forcefully. Hold the position as long as you can and slowly lower yourself back down. For a more challenging variation, lift your knees off the ground and straighten your legs.
Pelvic Lift
The pelvic lift strengthens the glutes, lower back and abs. To begin, lie on your back with your arms at your sides, knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Tip your pelvis back toward your body as you flatten your lower back on the floor and contract your abs. Maintaining tight abs, raise your hips in the air as high as possible and squeeze your glutes. Hold for a full second, slowly lower your hips and repeat. The goal is to create a straight line from your shoulders to your knees once you are at the midpoint of the exercise.
Curl-Up
The curl-up is an abdominal exercise performed from a faceup position on the floor. Begin by bending your knees, placing your feet flat on the floor and crossing your arms over your chest. Carefully raise your head and shoulders off the floor and curl your torso forward. Squeeze your abs and hold for a full second; then slowly lower yourself back down and repeat.
Bird Dog
The bird dog works the abs, lower back, butt and shoulders in one low-impact movement. To start, get into an all-fours position on the floor with your hands directly beneath your shoulders and knees directly beneath your hips. Steadily raise your right arm and left leg so they form a straight, parallel line with the floor. Hold for a second, lower your limbs and repeat on the other side. Continue to alternate back and forth in a steady and controlled motion.
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