Good morning,
Did you know that 80% of adults have experienced low back in some point of their life? That means that most likely you or someone you know had an episode of back pain. One of the key indicators increasing your likelihood of future back pain is the combo of being sedentary, infrequent bouts of exercise of high intensity.
Think about the last time that you had back pain. What were you originally instructed to do? Most likely rest, medications, and some physical therapy were prescribed. However, what is most often overlooked is that you can work around this pain. A modified exercise program beneficial to the recovery process while also getting you closer to your fitness goals. You can take a look at some of the research that would show that exercise is helpful for recovery.
This message isn’t telling you that if you are in a bout of low back pain to go out and exercise like you used to. This message is providing you a framework to follow when recovering from an injury. This will not only help with healing but will also help you with your goals. So next time if you are injured or if you are injured now, here are the 5 action items that will be beneficial to you:
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Seek help. Physical therapists are great resources to help you get back into activity with supervision. This is a much better route as compared to sitting and doing “nothing” about it. Are you in the market for a PT and not quite sure where to go? No worries, I know a few. Speak with your medical professional and ask about what other exercises you could do while you are healing. You should be given a list of exercises to avoid (for now and not forever). This often includes excessive forward bending and lifting with a rounded back.
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Work out your arms with pushups, pullups, ring rows, bicep curls (did you notice bicep curls have been in every message this week?)
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Incorporate core stability exercises. If you can hold a plank for more than a minute, you probably aren’t doing it right. Focus on tucking your pelvis and staying tight! Not sure what I’m talking about, google ‘RKC plank’. The clock starts when your body starts to shake.
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Scared of putting stress on your back with lower body exercises? The following are safe movements that will get your heart rate up and pump your muscles: body weight squats, walking lunges, glute bridges, unweighted good mornings, banded walks. As you can see, these exercises are quite hip dominant, which are beneficial to low back health.
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Keep moving. There are only a few instances that would call for complete bed rest. So if you aren’t prescribed bed rest, then it would be beneficial for you to get your heart rate up. This includes going for a power walk, tread up and down stairs, walk up the Hoboken/Heights Viaduct (just make sure you say hello when you walk by). This also includes changing your position on a regular basis while at work (spend an hour standing and an hour sitting). Your body will feel less stiff and things will feel a little better.
You don’t have to be sidelined by a back injury. In fact, this is the perfect opportunity for you to look deeper into how you move and lift. You will be ok. However, if your back pain is not improving or it gets worst, seek medical attention for a further evaluation.
Now if you are coming back from an injury and are scared to start a program again, no worries. A coach should be able to guide you every step of the way back towards your goals. If you have a coach of your own, tell them of your concerns. If you don’t have a coach, book a no sweat intro with us today so we can talk about a plan of action for you.
But, if you can’t start until the fall, we are running what is called a “Couch to Fitness Program”. This is built specifically for those who have taken a hiatus from the gym (for any reason) and for those who are completely new to working out. Reply with “I’m in” if you are interested and I’ll be sending you more details soon.
Have a great day,
Ashley
*The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in the information provided nor will the owner be liable for any accidents, injuries or other damage, howsoever occurring to any person or property arising out of or in any way connected to the use or application of information obtained from this message.
