What Are the Worst Exercises for Lower Back Pain?

Chronic Pain
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By Abubaker Rafiq

A little under 620 million people in the world have lower back pain, and it’s the leading cause of disability. And just because it’s common doesn’t necessarily mean you should accept back pain. Even if yours isn’t that bad, it can be enough discomfort to decrease your quality of life.

It’s always beneficial to address your lower back problems with exercises before turning to medication. However, there’s such a thing as treating back pain wrong.

Read on to find out what the worst exercises for lower back pain are.

Sit-Ups and Crunches

While sit-ups and crunches can help you acquire a six-pack, they should be avoided if you have lower back pain.

These entail the spine flexing repeatedly, which can put tension on the lower back. This is particularly true if you lack good form since you run the risk of hurting yourself quickly.

Toe Touches

You may be standing there trying to touch your toes because you believe stretches are the best workout for back pain. However, this is among the most significant errors that may occur.

Instead of relieving lower back tension, bending forward at the waist to touch your toes might exacerbate it. If you perform toe touches with locked knees, you could put additional strain on yourself.

Leg Presses

Think leg presses are a good way to work out while resting from lower back pain? Think again.

A leg press machine causes your pelvis to tilt, and this can increase stress on your lower back if you haven’t properly adjusted the machine. Even so, if you have poor form, this will hurt your back further, too.

Deadlifts

Admittedly, deadlifts are a fantastic compound exercise you can do, even if you have lower back pain.

However, our main issue is that many amateur gym goers have poor form. As you may have guessed, it can lead to lower back strain or even injury.

High-Impact Aerobic Exercises

Exercises like leaping exercises, speeding on hard surfaces, and other high-impact aerobics are bad for your back. They can transmit jarring forces to your spine, which will prevent you from healing.

If you must go running, then choose comfortable footwear and softer grounds. You can also try lower-paced aerobics classes.

Weightlifting

Weightlifting can be ok to do if your back pain isn’t too great. But make sure you have good form, and you’re not overloading yourself.

Whether it’s squats, lunges, or other weightlifting exercises, poor form or lifting weights that are too heavy can strain your lower back.

What You Can Do

Time is what you need to heal your lower back pain. Don’t overdo things, and seek professional back pain treatment. For instance, you can receive spinal cord stimulation to promote healing and get pain relief.

Avoid the Worst Exercises for Lower Back Pain

Knowing which workouts are the worst for lower back pain will help you avoid them while you’re having trouble.

You can continue exercising when you feel ready but go slowly at first. After all, if you are overly ambitious, you will never succeed.

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