Researchers are now finding that a key answer to back pain is what you do when the pain comes. They are finding that a good way to treat sudden back pain is to immediately exercise in a way which mixes stretching with general light exercising.
Researchers find that when a back pain sufferer stretches in a way that extends their muscles, they give the back instantaneous relief. That's because they are taking the pressure off of the things that may be hurting. Immediate exercise is a great way to reduce pain right away; including pain caused by a compressed disc or pinched nerve.
For most people dealing with acute pain, then exercise should be done every couple of hours. This gives the stretching the chance to really help the back. Some simple bending forward exercises should also be mixed in. This type of stretching is not indicated for some people, especially seniors who are experiencing osteoarthritis or lumbar stenosis as the stretching (stretching for these people are actually detrimental).
These researchers suggest an additional help: low impact aerobics to both alleviate the pain and strengthen the back. This means that once your back is better continuing these low impact aerobics could also be a good preventive for future back pain episodes. Walking is a highly recommended exercise. It is low-impact and very helpful for back pain sufferers. A couple of miles a couple of times a week is highly recommended. If you find walking painful then an alternative is to use a stationary bicycle in your home or at the gym. It will give you similar benefits and will be less tiring. Most people can do it anywhere - you don't have to leave home to enjoy it.
Another exercise program worth considering for your back is water therapy. When doing exercises in the water you will find that you are taking the weight away from the areas that hurt. By doing this you are taking the stress off your back and may be able to do a water exercise program that your pain keeps you from doing under regular circumstances. If this is the case you should continue a program like that and then slowly make the changeover to doing exercises on land. This type of exercise is especially useful for older back pain sufferers.
The hamstrings deserve special attention in order to relieve back pain. It's been found in studies that these muscles are quite stiff when a person has bad back pain. Hamstrings can interfere with full motion when they are too tight. Stretching the hamstrings can help a great deal. Stretching these muscles can also help to lengthen the hamstrings and so to reduce the strain in the muscle. There are many hamstring stretching exercises available; one of the easiest exercises to do for this problem is to bend over and touch your toes. Choose the exercises for your hamstrings that cause you the least pain.
