Back Pain Exercises

Back Pain Exercises

In my 15 year career as a physiotherapist I have given out plenty of back pain exercises! It is what we as physios do best! Our knowledge is backed up by clinical research, so we know the back pain exercises we advise are the right exercises for people with back pain. The NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) guildlines recommend exercise as an effective way to manage and treat back pain.

Not all back pain is the same

There are many different reasons you could be experiencing back pain. The exact cause of your back pain would influence which back pain exercise we would advise is best for you. This is why clinical Pilates is better for back pain than any other type of Pilates. We prescribe workouts based on your individual needs. For example someone with a disc prolapse would respond better to certain exercises than others, there would also be certain back pain exercises we would advise someone with a disc prolapse to avoid.

Non specific back pain

If you suffer with general back pain then there are some great clinical Pilates back pain exercises that would benefit you. You have to remember that having back pain means that your core stabilising muscles will have become inhibited due to the pain. The only way to improve their strength is to work them with clinical Pilates. Your back might have tightened/stiffened up as a way of compensating for the core weakness so the only way to loosen your back is to strengthen the core weakness. You can keep stretching your back until you are blue in the face, unless you get to the centre of the problem you will continue to suffer.

Is it better to stretch the back or strengthen it?

A combination of the two is ideal. Stretching alone will not get rid of your back pain. Building your core strength and control is key to successfully managing your back pain with exercise as well as stretching. Yes back stretches might give you some temporary relief but it will only ever be temporary. Building up your spine strength can be life changing, it may allow you to start doing the things you have stopped because of your pain. It may even be that your back pain is as a result of poor posture. This can also be fixed with clinical Pilates! Try our Pilates for back pain workouts.

Free clinical Pilates workout

We offer a 14 day free trial on our workouts. We also have a sample 15 minute workout on our home page.