Do Need Abdominal Exercise For a Bad Back

Your Lower back is a surprisingly strong weight-bearing structure; in the right position. However, if the low back (lumbar spine) is put into compromised positions repeatedly it can become injured, sometimes, quite severely. Your abdominals work to prevent your low back being “caught out” in these dangerous positions. Unfortunately, if you’re reading this, there is a good chance you spend a significant proportion of your day sat down (with your abs turned off).

Like any other muscle that isn’t used enough on a daily basis, it will begin to weaken, shrink and work less effectively. This is why abdominal exercises are vital for remedying a bad back!

What Role Do the Abs have for Back Pain

The Abdominal muscles provide a corset-like support for the low back. Your Lower back links two large areas, your pelvic and shoulder girdles. The abdominal muscles are the only thing holding this area stable as we’ve discussed so should be developed enough to support and protect the more delicate parts of your low back.

Back Pain & Abdominal Exercise

When you are suffering from back pain it is important to work with exercises that are safe and do not cause pain. Some of the exercises in stage 2 and 3 would not be appropriate if you still have residual back pain from something like a slipped disc. That said for the individual who is conscious that they are at risk of back pain or have had back pain in the past, the exercises in this video will be great.  Advice would always be to start at stage 1 and work your way up over time.

One of the secrets to successful abdominal exercise as a rehabilitation program to reduce the risk of recurring low back pain is to not progress too aggressively.  Of course, you do need to progress your core work and be doing more (either reps or weight) 6 weeks after starting, but you should be careful in the early stages not to push progress too aggressively as this could be detrimental if you’ve got a bad back.

Help is at Hand!

If you are struggling with rehabilitating your core, or are finding your back pain persistent, Contact us! We can have a brief discussion about how you were diagnosed, or about how we can help you by providing treatment or extensive analysis.