Which Exercises Should I Be Doing For My Back?

The armed forces persist in using the ability to do sit ups as a measure of fitness! I remember a patient a few years ago who had back pain and was about to enter the Army. He was had been doing 200 sit ups every day because he knew that he would have to do so to be accepted by the Army.  Instead of getting him fitter though, he had developed back pain!

He didn’t realise before he embarked on all this exercise that he had a pre-existing disc problem and every time he did a sit up he was stretching the back part of the disc that was already weak and eventually he developed a tear in it, which caused him to develop sciatica.

Instead of creating a stronger back to cope with the rigours of the Army, he was increasing the pressure on his discs and thus creating back pain.

At the Charminster Chiropractic Clinic, the Bournemouth Chiropractors showed him the ‘curl up’ that enable us to create a strong core without irritating his disc and this causing pain.

The Curl Up is one of the exercises advocated by an eminent chiropractor,  Professor Stuart Gill. He advocates using the ‘Big Three’ exercises – they are very simple but they ensure that back strengthening exercises are done in a neutral position – i.e. you are not bending forwards or backwards and overloading your low back.

The correct exercises  appropriate to your back, done daily will give you muscle strength and then if you try to maintain a strong, neutral position whenever you are working, you will reduce the number of times you twist your back and therefore the likelihood of causing pain.

Call in to see us so we can examine your back to see what problems you do have and then we can show you how to do these exercises properly!