Back pain exercises when gone wrong can lead to severe discomfort. Little do you know that your body is not meant for all kinds of stretches and exercises. After a certain age your bones lose a lot of calcium that makes your bones weaker. Therefore doing wrong exercises can even increase the risk of fracture or muscle tear. Follow our guide on the 7 back pain exercises you should avoid. It will give you a clear understanding of which exercise you must keep away with and what is the replacement for it.
What Happens If You Do The Wrong Exercises?
When you do inappropriate exercises you are making your body prone to injuries like fracture, inflammation and more pain. One must follow the right techniques and also maintain a steady pace.
7 Back Pain Exercises You Should Not Do
1. Touch Oneself With The Foot
Although toe touches help to increase flexibility, they could be challenging in case of lower back inflammation. The movement calls for bending forward. This stresses the lumbar spine significantly and increases intervertebral disc pressure. It can cause discomfort as well as possibly increase the chances of injury.
Moreover, if your hamstrings are tight, forcing your body into a deep forward bend can exacerbate lower back pain. For people with back problems, this exercise could be dangerous since the sudden stretching could worsen pain by means of muscle spasms.
What can you do instead?
- Stretch of the hamstring
Without putting too much strain on the back, stretching hamstrings help to relieve tension in the lower back and legs. Start with mild stretches and increase the intensity little by little as your flexibility rises. Regularly stretching your hamstring helps improve your general posture and relieve back pain eventually.
2. Get-ups
Get ups or sit ups strain the lower back. Sit-ups are often used to strengthen the abs. Repetitive flexion of the spine damages spinal discs and worsen already present back problems. Many people who pull their neck forward rather than using their core to do sit ups give rise to more back problems. It increases the probability of injuries like disc bulges and muscle strains.
What can you do instead?
- Plank:
Planks or doing core strength exercises without straining your back is the best way to relieve back pain. Planks are a more stable and efficient approach. Engaging different muscle groups simultaneously helps to maintain a neutral spine angle. Therefore, reducing chances of damage. Begin with a forearm plank or an inclined plank before moving on to a full plank to simplify this exercise.
3. Crunch exercises
Similar to sit-ups, crunches engage a more targeted motion that isolates the abdominals. They can provide significant spinal stress to individuals with herniated discs or pinched nerves. When improperly done, crunches can cause excessive spinal flexion, which raises the risk of disc compression. This constant stress might ultimately cause tortuous back discomfort and pain over time.
What can you do instead?
- Side Plankers
By providing stability to the back, side planks help to strengthen the core. Since they work on the oblique muscles they improve overall spinal support. They are great for people suffering back discomfort. Adding side planks to your daily workout will help you balance more and prevent next injuries.
4. leg press Exercise
Many people follow leg press as a back pain exercise. Little do they know that it is not a good option. The leg press workout can be challenging for people suffering from back pain since it puts too much stress on the lower back. Improperly done or using heavy weights can result in muscle strain and disc compression.
The leg press also limits natural motion and could push the spine into an abnormal posture. This can worsen stress on the lumbar discs, causing pain and even damage.
What can you do Instead?
- Squats
When done properly, squats can strengthen the same muscle groups as the leg press but not put too much stress on the lower back. Start with bodyweight squats; gradually increase weight as you feel stronger. Throughout the workout, be sure to keep a neutral spine and activate your core.
5. Twisting Movements
For people with back discomfort, activities that demand major torso rotation can be dangerous. Twisting movements put pressure on the spinal disc and could cause nerve compression or worsen conditions like sciatica.
By enforcing spine to rotational stress through exercises like seated torso twists or Russian twists can aggravate already present back problems. Done fast or with extra load, these activities increase the chances for lumbar misalignment and muscle strains.
What can you do Instead?
- Dead bug drills
The dead bug workout helps to develop core stability without inordinate spinal twisting. It offers abdominal muscle workout and increases coordination while lowering back pressure. It’s a wonderful low-impact workout that enhances balance and core control.
6. Extension of Superman Backs
Although they might be difficult for someone with back discomfort, Superman back extensions are often used to strengthen the lower back muscles. Raising both legs and arms from the ground strains the lower back and could cause pain or damage.
What can you do instead?
- Bird Dog Exercise will help
A safer alternative to overloading the spine, the bird dog movement strengthens back and core muscles. It promotes stability, improves posture, and lowers the chances of injury. When you do it regularly, this workout can help you to control your whole body and straighten your spine.
7. lifting of heavy weights
Lifting heavy is one of the worst back pain exercises. If done improperly, especially under heavy strain, weightlifting may significantly damage the spine and increase the likelihood of back injuries. Deadlifts, heavy squats, and other weighted workouts exert too much pressure on the disc, resulting in serious discomfort or permanent harm.
What can you do instead?
- Front foot raised reverse lunges
This different workout relieves spinal compression by strengthening the legs. It engages the core, hamstrings, and hips without overly burdening the lower back. Stressing good form and controlled motions will help you prevent stress on your spine.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right workout and back pain exercises is important to resist injury. Working out is a critical component of keeping a strong and durable back. Avoiding these seven exercises can help protect your spine while also increasing strength and flexibility. Respect your body, keep good posture, and see a medical our expert prior to starting any fresh exercise program. Emphasizing spine-friendly workouts will help you to have a strong back free of pain!
