Back pain: Exercising glutes with two moves could ...

Wilson328 2017-07-28

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It's part of a healthy lifestyle, but back pain puts many off being active.

According to the latest research from the British Chiropractic Association, 41 per cent of people have been prevented from exercising due to back or neck pain.

They found a quarter had been put off for up to a month, while nine per cent were discouraged from working out for up to half a year.

However, as with your mental and cardiovascular health - as well as numerous other benefits - exercise has the power to relieve, rather than exacerbate, back discomfort.

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Back pain: Doing exercise can help symptoms

Pain in the lower back is particularly common - but it can be down to another part of our body entirely.

'It can be totally debilitating and the reasons for the pain are many,' said Lawrence Hannah, personal trainer and founder of Metabolic London (www.metaboliclondon.com).

'Often it may be down to common and unavoidable degenerative issues.

'However, before we are ready to write off our crumbling bodies we should be aware of one thing - our glutes.

Try these 6 Simple exercises to prevent painful back pain

Cobra - A good exercise for reversing the curve of sitting. Lie on your front with arms at chest height

Push your arms as straight as possible. At the top of the movement breathe out and let your hips relax, hold for 2-3 seconds. Do 10-12 repeats

Hip twist level 2 – A good exercise for spinal mobility. Position yourself on your back, squeezing a small cushion between your knees

Allow your knees to roll to the side as far as they can comfortably go. Gently look the opposite way to increase the stretch. Hold the stretch whilst you breathe in. Return to the centre position

Shoulder bridge – A good exercise for mobility and stability of the spine. Start with your pelvis level. Flatten your back into the mat and squeeze your buttocks

Draw your belly button towards your spine. Keep this good pelvic position whilst you straighten one leg away from you. Breathe out to send the leg away and breathe in to return it back

Childs Pose – Good for lumbar and thoracic mobility, these areas both get stiff with prolonged sitting or driving. Position yourself on your hands and knees. Place your hands in front of your shoulders

Gently lean your weight onto your knees and heels. Feel the stretch in your spine and shoulders. Hold long enough to relax and enjoy the stretch

One leg stretch – A good exercise for spinal strength and stability. Position your pelvis in a level position

Visualise your spine as a row of beads and lift up bead by bead until you are resting on the shoulder blades. Hold this while you breathe in. Breathe out as you lower the pelvis / spine back to the mat bead by bead

Hip twist – A good exercise for spinal stability. Position your pelvis in a level position. Draw your belly button towards your spine

Keep this good pelvic position whilst you let one leg roll away from you. Imagine a drink on top of the opposite knee, try not to spill it. Breathe out as you send the leg away and inhale to return it back

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Back pain: Doing a bodyweight squat can help

'It's the biggest muscle group in our body and part of the core, but it's remarkably often neglected and left dormant.

'However, when they are not firing properly, we are placing a greater demand on our lower back and therefore could well be contributing to lower back pain.

'The back is incredibly complex and the pain might not necessarily be down to inactive glutes, but it could well be.'

The glutes - properly known as the gluteus maximus - sit in our bottom, and should be the primary muscles used to carry the body forward and lower it down - more often than not we use the lower back to do this instead.

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Back pain: Foam rolling can release tension

Hannah recommends strengthening and activating the glutes by doing squats - taking care not to curve or bend back - lunges, and foam rolling over the area to release tension.

He suggests avoiding high-impact exercises that could create a jolt to the system, and doing strengthening exercises that will support the back.

If you haven't yet experienced back pain, you can use fitness to prevent it.

Michael Betts, personal trainer and director at TRAINFITNESS (https://ness/), said: 'Do a combination of strength training exercises - such as bodyweight squats and lunges, then adding in barbells, and moving onto deadlifts - and stretching.

'The strength training is to ensure all the muscles are strong enough to maintain hip position and spinal stability throughout most movements.

'As we get older our muscles will get tighter over time. If we exercise, they will tighten even faster.

'Therefore stretching the muscles around the hip will ensure you have the mobility needed to prevent lower back pain.'