- Pelvic tilts
- Bridges
- Wall sits
- Pelvic rock
- Lateral raises, lateral pulldowns, and assisted pull-ups
- Chest flyes, bench press, and incline press
- Leg press, extensions, and curls
- Abdominal exercises using an exercise ball
- Squats of all variations
- Plank exercises
- Lunges, either forward or backward
- Push-ups or modified push-ups from knees
- Hamstring stretches and extensions using a wall or towel grip for support
- Knee-to-chest stretch, alternating legs while keeping the other flat to the floor
- Back press-ups from the floor in a push-up position, pressing only your upper body off the floor and keeping hands planted
- Cardio exercises
- Walking
- Swimming
- Leg presses
- Shoulder presses
- Bench presses
- Leg curls
Of course, the type of exercise you choose will also be affected by how active you were before developing chronic back pain. For people who weren’t that active, it’s good to start slowly. If you were an avid walker, you might find it easier to start with short walks.
How To Exercise Safely
Regardless of which exercises you choose, there are a few factors you should always take into consideration.
Before you start working out, make sure to warm up so your muscles are prepared for what you’re about to do. If you don’t warm up, you run the risk of injuring yourself further.
The same goes for cooling down.
When you’re exercising, you should never push your body further than it wants to go. That might sound like you’re playing it too safe but working through pain or to the point of pain could cause harm.
While some weight training exercise is fine for certain people, be careful not to overdo it. You should stick to light weights and never press weights above your head.
If you’re not familiar with the type of exercise you’d like to try, seek out a professional instructor. Not only will they be able to show you how to carry out the exercises correctly but they will also know what modifications to make for someone who is dealing with chronic back pain.
It can be difficult to exercise well when you have chronic back pain but it’s not impossible. Make sure to get your doctor’s go-ahead to exercise before you start anything and let them know if working out is causing you pain. You’ll never get the right results if you don’t proceed carefully.