If you’re experiencing back or neck pain, your first thought may be to head to bed and rest until it passes.
But sometimes that’s the worst thing you can do.
Appropriate exercise is often good for back and neck pain?
When you exercise your increase blood flow to the soft tissues and muscles in the back and neck. This makes the muscles more flexible and also releases endorphins, which are natural painkillers.
However, there is definitely a balance and overdoing it can be dangerous and make your pain worse.
Here’s what you need to know about when to exercise and when to give your body a break if you have back or neck pain.
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Avoiding Too Much Rest Is Good
If you’re experiencing back or neck pain, your first thought may be to head to bed and rest until it passes.
But sometimes that’s the worst thing you can do.
Appropriate exercise is often good for back and neck pain?
When you exercise your increase blood flow to the soft tissues and muscles in the back and neck. This makes the muscles more flexible and also releases endorphins, which are natural painkillers.
However, there is definitely a balance and overdoing it can be dangerous and make your pain worse.
Here’s what you need to know about when to exercise and when to give your body a break if you have back or neck pain.
Neck And Back Exercises To Try
By gently moving the muscles in your neck and back, you can help to loosen them and heal your body. Try these exercises.
Neck Tilt
- Sit in a chair and tilt your head down so that your chin makes contact with your chest.
- Hold the position for five seconds, before going back to the starting position and doing it again.
- Aim for doing this exercise five times.
Side-To-Side Neck Exercise
- Sit down and tilt your neck towards one of your shoulders.
- Maintain the position for five seconds, then go back to the starting position and do another four reps.
- Repeat four times and do another four times and do the same thing on the other side.
The Rounded Back
- Get down onto a yoga mat on all fours.
- Keep your palms in line with your shoulders and keep your knees in line with your hips.
- Inhale and tuck your pelvis, sucking in your gut.
- Round your back so that it’s arched. As you do that, move your head down as this relaxes your neck.
- Hold it for a few seconds, then exhale and go back to the starting position.
- Turn your face upwards so that your back can move back towards the floor.
- Maintain this position for a few seconds.
Reverse Dumbbell Fly
- With a dumbbell in each hand, stand with your arms at your sides and your back slightly bent forward.
- Look down at the floor as you lift your arms up and down.
- When you reach the top of the movement, you should tighten your shoulders, before going back to the starting position.
The Chair Twist
- Sit down on a chair in a sideways position.
- Move your torso to the left, and as you move you should reach for the back of the chair. So, it’s like you’re turning around to see someone you know behind you.
- Maintain the pose with your upper body, but use your arms to stretch as this will loosen the muscles in your upper, middle, and lower back.
The Importance Of Core Exercises
You might wonder what your core has to do with neck and back pain, but they’re linked.
Both back and neck pain can be a result of the spine taking a lot of pressure on a daily basis to keep you upright.
If you don’t work your core muscles, you make your spine do all the work, which can result in injury and pain in the back and neck.
Here are some core exercises that will strengthen your abdominal muscles without putting pressure on your spine.
Leg Press
- Lie on a yoga mat with your legs raised so that your knees are at a 90-degree angle.
- Tighten your abs and push your back into the floor.
- Put your hands on your quads and push your quads into your hands while you try to push them away at the same time.
- This creates tension that you’ll feel in your core muscles, and it’s what makes this exercise a great way to help you become more aware of your core muscles.
Forward Lunge
Lunges are great to build strength in your glutes and work your abs!
- Stand so that your feet are shoulder-width apart, with your hands on your hips.
- Step forward with one foot and put it firmly on the ground in front of you.
- Make sure both your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle.
- Keep your chest straight and your shoulders above your hips.
- Engage your buttocks and core.
- Then, return to your starting position.
When To Avoid Exercising With Neck Or Back Pain
You should stay away from your usual exercise routine if you have severe neck pain or weakness that affects your arms and hands.
In addition, some exercises can actually make your pain worse. Here are some to avoid so that you don’t put pressure on your back.
Sit-ups
When you move from lying in a flat position to sitting upright, this puts pressure on your spine, and it’s especially dangerous if you have weak core muscles. It can make you feel pain.
If you must do sit-ups, do half-crunches. These enable you to come up to a 20-degree angle instead of a 90-degree angle as you would in a full sit-up.
This exercise works your abs and core and doesn’t place unnecessary strain on your back.
Toe Touches
This might feel like a harmless stretch to do for lower back pain, but it can exacerbate the issue.
The problem with toe touches is that you round your back, which can increase pain if the muscles surrounding your spine are tight.
Instead of toe touches to stretch you out, try a supine hamstring stretch instead. This is when you lie on your back with your legs straight and raise your knee to your chest.
You want to hold onto it with both hands and pull it towards you so that you feel your left hamstring stretch. Repeat it with your other leg.
Should You Lift Weights With Neck Or Back Pain?
You may be unsure if you should continue to lift weights when you are experiencing back or neck pain.
The good news is that you can continue to lift weights and exercise, you just have to follow some precautions to avoid further injury.
- Avoid doing lifts with heavyweights, such as deadlifts, squats, Olympic lifts, and flexion exercises, as this can put pressure on your back or neck and lead to further injury.
- Lifting less weight than you are used to can allow you to maintain strength without risking injury. You can tell it’s too heavy if you feel pain with the lift. Pain is generally a good indication that you are either lifting too much weight or with poor form and this is especially true if you have a back or neck condition.
- Stop immediately if you feel neck pain or discomfort as that’s a warning sign you could injure yourself if you continue.
Related Questions
Is a foam roller good for back and neck pain?
A foam roller can reduce pain if used correctly.
Don’t use it directly onto the bony part of your spine as this can aggravate your pain.
It’s better to target it on the muscles surrounding your spine and hips, as tightness in these muscles can be the origin of low back pain.
What’s good self-care for your neck?
If you have low back or neck pain you should do regular stretches and exercise and use a heating pad.
Both of these will help bring more blood flow to the area and promote healing.
Avoid re-injuring yourself by being careful with posture, sleeping position, and exercise.
Conclusion
If you’re suffering from neck or back pain you are probably wondering if it is safe to continue exercise.
While some back or neck pain exercises are healthy for you to keep your muscles flexible and prevent them from becoming tight, it’s important to maintain the right form and avoid any exercise that causes unnecessary stress on your spine.
The good news is a careful exercise program such as we have described can result in improvement in your back and neck pain!
