Nearly 65 million Americans have reported a recent episode of back pain. With numerous treatment options, back pain is the sixth most costly condition in the United States. If you suffer from back pain, there is a proven way to help reduce pain with the side effects that come from surgery or cortisone injections: treatments aimed at stretching and strengthening your back.
A Strong Core is Key to Healing and Preventing Back Pain
When it comes to preventing back pain or healing a current episode, look to your core. Core exercises train the muscles in your pelvis, lower back, hips, and abdomen to work together. A strong core is key to stability and helps in daily activities. You use your core for everyday common tasks—from tying your shoes to grabbing a glass off of a high shelf as well as more robust activities like swinging a golf club.
Strong core muscles help you:
- Maintain your balance and reduce the chances of injury or reinjury due to slipping or falling.
- Avoid awkward movements as they can strain back muscles and spinal ligaments.
- Prevent unwanted strains or sprains by transferring stress through your core muscles rather than your spine, which significantly reduces your risk for back pain
Stretching and Strengthening Your Core
When back and abdominal muscles are weak, it can cause or worsen low back pain. That’s why stretching and strengthening your back and abdominal muscles are important for treating low back pain and are also key to preventing a recurrence.
Tips for stretching for your core:
- Stretch regularly but gently, without bouncing, as that can cause tissue injury.
- If you aren’t used to stretching, start by holding a stretch for a short time and gradually build up to roughly 30-second stretches over time.
- If you were exercising before an episode of back pain and then had to stop because of the pain, don’t resume exercising at the same level as before the episode.
In addition to stretching exercises you can do yourself, there are many other treatment options to help reduce pain and improve movement. Check out this video for more information on treatment options for back injuries from Maragal Medical, which includes a demonstration of how we use lumbar decompression to gently stretch joints and get them moving again.
Say Goodbye to Back Pain
If you suffer from nerve pain like sciatica or a bulging or herniated disk, Maragal Medical can help. Starting with a full exam to identify what’s causing your back pain, our back pain specialists will diagnose the problem and create a custom treatment plan for you that could include chiropractic care, physiotherapy, and more. If you’re currently living with back pain, or would like to invest in strengthening your back before you become one of the 65 million Americans with back pain, contact Maragal Medical today.