How To Keep Fit When Recovering From A Back Injury?

How do you stay fit with a back injury? Back injuries are surprisingly common. We get back injuries for all sorts of reasons. However, one of the main reasons that we suffer from back injuries is because of everyday occurrences such as poor posture.

Back injuries are very common and a small fortune is spent on NSAIDs every year as a result of back injuries. One alternative to taking painkillers is exercising when you have a back injury.

Of course, being careful is important, but there is no reason why you should not exercise if you do it in the right way.

But, what kind of exercises should you be doing when you have a back injury?

Walking For Better Health

Depending on the severity of your back injury, walking is a great idea. In many ways, walking is the perfect balance between resting and exercising.

If you feel well and are not experiencing severe pain, going for a walk is not a bad idea at all. As you progress, you can start walking much more vigorously and even add in other exercises that will benefit your overall fitness and help you to recover faster.

I am worried about falling over? Falling over is one of the things that most people with back injuries are worried about when it comes to recovery.

Back injuries can affect your balance and you may even feel a bit unsteady on your feet. What do you do if your doctor or physiotherapist have told you to walk to speed up recovery?

The first thing that you should do, is to wear a back support. Secondly, investing in a pair of Nordic walking poles is a great idea. They help to support you and offer you gentle guidance as you walk.

As you progress, you can even use your Nordic walking poles to push yourself that little further. Used correctly, Nordic walking poles are a fantastic way of toning your upper body as well as your arms.

Focus On Gentle Fitness

When you find that standing up or walking, make you feel dizzy, other exercises that can help to increase your muscle strength and get you back into fitness.

Lifting weights and using bands are two of them. Does that mean that you have to stand up? To tone your upper body and increase arm strength, you don't have to stand up.

Exercising in a chair with light hand weights and resistance bands are one of the best ways to tone your upper body when you have a back problem. Most importantly, it is important to remember to keep your back straight and face forward. You do that by finding a spot on the wall and carry on looking at it.

Keep your weights or band on a chair next to you. That way, you don't have to worry about bending down to pick them up when you want to use them.

Did you know that you can do gentle abdominal exercises sitting in a chair? All you have to do when you want to engage your abs is to gently bend your legs. To increase the intensity of the exercise, hold your hands out at waist height while still sitting in the chair. Raise your knees to meet your hands. You are now doing a mini abdominal crunch.

What About Going Swimming?

Swimming is often recommended after a back injury or surgery.

Yes, it is a great idea, but you do need to make sure that you keep the correct spinal alignment. That is more important than anything else.

When you are just getting back into swimming, it is best to use some kind of flotation or buoyancy device. If you can't find anything else, a standard woggle is fine, but there are other devices that you can use.

For instance, armbands for adults will help you to keep your body in a better position. Discuss it with your doctor, but breaststroke is often the best way to get back into swimming after a back injury.

Can I Do Stand Up Exercises?

There's no reason why you can't, but you should avoid strenuous aerobic activity. High impact aerobics can cause further harm to a back injury. It is best to stay away from high impact exercise.

But, there are many standing exercises that you can do to improve both your flexibility and muscle strength.

Some of the best standing exercises that you can do include tai-chi and yoga. Pilates are an alternative to yoga, but depending on your back injury, pilates may involve too much twisting.

It is best to stick to very gentle exercises including yoga.

Can I Do Floor Exercises?

In general, it is not recommended that you do floor exercises when you when resting from a back injury.

It is often not the exercises themselves. However, getting down and up from the floor can cause back strain.

If you can safely get down onto the floor, doing some gentle stretches using a foam roller while laying on your back can help to ease any tendon pain that you are experiencing. Strengthening your tendons is just as important as exercising your muscles. Your tendons will help to support your back as you recover from your injury.

How Quickly Should I Get Back Into Exercise?

If you have had surgery, you should always listen to what your doctor and physiotherapist have to say.

On most occasions, the medical advice is to start moving as soon as you can. That could mean a couple of days or weeks after surgery or injury.

It may feel uncomfortable at first, but the sooner you start exercising, the faster you can get back to enjoying life again.

Cross exercising, doing different exercises, is often the best way of recover after a back injury. It is about regaining your range of movement and increasing stamina to do the things you used to do. Resting all of the time can have a negative effect on back injuries.

Brought to you by Your Back Pain Relief