For the 80% of us with a grumbly lower back, research is telling us that ultimately an active approach is the most favourable in managing back pain in the long term.

This means you need to:

• Keep active in your spare time

  • In part 3 of this back pain series, we discussed how our sedentary lives are the major cause to low back pain. So what do you need to do about it? Get up and get moving! 

    

  • Swimming is a fantastic form of exercise for people with low back pain. While you are at the pool, try some walking in the shallow end – walk forwards because it is fantastic cardio, but try walking backwards as it is a great way to help you engage your buttock muscles. 

  • Get into any other exercise that you enjoy – walking, yoga, Pilates, Physiotonic classes, cross trainer… there is so much variety you can choose from.. and do exactly that – keep the exercise varied.

  • Is cycling a good choice of exercise for low back pain? Maybe not – we’ll discuss this in a separate blog post soon!

    

• Keep your weight down

  • Being overweight simply puts too much pressure on your spine. Make some changes to your dietary and exercise habits today! 

    

• Work on your core strength

  • Having a strong core that will help you prevent back pain, does not mean you have a six pack and can do 100 sit ups. Your six pack muscles are the outer core and don’t support your back.

  • Instead, the deep core muscle that wraps around your trunk, is the one you need to improve and will help you get a stronger, more stable body. For more reading on your deep core visit:

    • http://www.physiotonic.com.au/what-we-work-on/core-strengthening/

    • previous blog post, the ‘core essence of running’.

  • You will need to go through how to activate your inner core with your physio in detail. Or, come along to a Physiotonic class and we will get you sorted. 

• Work on your buttock strength

  • Your buttock muscles should be stronger than what they are!

  • Stronger buttock muscles will give you more strength for everyday movements and will help to reduce the load on your spine. For more information go to  http://www.physiotonic.com.au/what-we-work-on/gluteal-strengthening/   

• Work on your flexibility

  • We sit for so many hours in the week and get tight in some major muscle groups and joints. It is important to stretch what we tighten up to help our spine move more freely. For more information go to http://www.physiotonic.com.au/what-we-work-on/flexibility/. 

• Keep working on your posture

  • You need to learn a skill 10 000 times before your brain changes it pattern. So get cracking on teaching yourself good sitting habits! Improving your posture is a gradual process but just keep working at it! It is never too late to start!  

This is the final blog post on this series for low back pain. To help manage back pain in the long term, our message is simple…get moving! Improve your posture, core strength, buttock strength and flexibility today with Physiotonic exercise classes. Visit our website at www.physiotonic.com.au to contact us.