Aerobic exercise increases the flow of blood and nutrients to your body and hastens the healing process, says Dr.Peter F. Ullrich, Jr., of the Spine-Health website. It also prevents the weight gain and excess stress that may exacerbate a bad back. The jarring movements associated with many high impact aerobic activities, however, put too much stress on the body, so low-impact exercise is a viable alternative.
Choosing an Exercise Program
Choosing the best exercise for back pain depends on your preferences, as well as the nature of your back problem. Disc problems, for example, are the most limiting. Since your fluid-filled vertebral discs are shock absorbers, any type of impact stresses a spine with degenerative disc problems. If the problem affects your sciatic nerve, even exercises such as step aerobics, which is fine for people with mild non-disc back problems, may cause excessive pain. Other deciding factors include your like or dislike of choreographed movements or exercising in the water, and whether you are looking for a solitary or social exercise.
The Recumbent Bike
Because of its reclining position and back support, the recumbent bike is ideal for people with severe back pain or disc problems, according to Dr. Todd J. Molnar of the Southern California Orthopedic Institute. These bikes have one caveat: Their comfortable position may encourage a low intensity aerobic workout, which may not offer sufficient aerobic benefits, says instructor Megan Tyner, in an article for the Spine-Health website. Intensify the workout by adding intervals of high speed or higher resistance.
Low-Impact Exercise
Choreographed low-impact aerobic classes use continuous, large muscle movements to elevate your heart rate. These classes do not feature any type of jumping movement. Your appreciation of the type of music the instructor uses determines whether aerobics classes are your best choice. Some classes have a specific theme, such as Latin dance, 50s music, 80s rock or swing music. Look for classes that feature at least 30 minutes of aerobic movement. After 30 minutes, your brain secretes endorphins, which are your body's natural pain killers, says Dr. Peter F. Ullrich, Jr.
Water Exercise
The water's buoyancy supports your body weight, thereby minimizing joint impact and pain, says "Arthritis Today." Water offers 12 times the resistance of air, says author Camille Noe Pagan, so you get an effective exercise intensity without the impact. Choose between aqua aerobics classes or water walking, which uses a buoyancy belt for deep water walking. Swimming is also a possible option, but specialists on a back pain expert website warn that the back stroke may cause excessive neck pain, and that the crawl stroke may induce too much spinal extension, which in turn puts excess stress on the discs.
Member Comments