You know exercise will help relieve your back pain. It will increase the strength of your back. Exercise will keep back pain at bay. So Johnson Chiropractic encourages our Richmond back pain patients to just exercise! Exercise complements the in-office chiropractic care you receive at Johnson Chiropractic.

But Johnson Chiropractic also knows that you want to use the most effective and proven back exercises that will help your back. You don’t want to waste your time or hurt your back. So here are some top back exercise recommendations from Johnson Chiropractic that will complement your Richmond chiropractic treatment care plan:

1. Knee Chest – This helps stretch the low back muscles and relieve pressure on the joints of the spine.
2. Hamstring Stretch – This stretches the muscles in the back of the thigh and enhances and improves the ability to bend forward at the waist.
3. Extension – Back extension exercises are important. The back muscles get weak, especially when the back hurts, and we decrease our spinal motion. Because extension may aggravate some spinal conditions, be sure to follow the suggestions Johnson Chiropractic offers. You will be told when to start them in the course of your chiropractic treatment plan.
4. Pelvic Tilt – This gently brings motion to the spine and stretches the back. It helps strengthen abdominal and buttock muscles while helping to relieve nerve pressure in the low back.
5. Abdominal Strengthening – These exercises strengthen the abdominal core muscles that support the spine in normal everyday activities.

Further, a new research article focused on patients with chronic low back pain encourages stretching of the lumbar spine extensor muscles, psoas muscles, hamstrings, abdominals, and gluteal muscles. It also encourages flexion exercises for low back mobility. However, it warns against extension and hyperextension exercises for lumbar spine mobility as not being appropriate. (1) Listen to your Richmond chiropractic physician as you discuss the appropriate exercises for your individual spine and its condition.

Bottomline about exercise to relieve back pain: It’s safe, doesn’t increase the risk of future back injury or job absence, improves back flexibility and strength, and improves patients’ pain ratings. (2) Johnson Chiropractic sees all of these benefits come to life in patients who exercise!

Now, of course, don’t start any new exercises without talking about what is right for you at your Richmond chiropractic appointment first. But if Johnson Chiropractic has already recommended some back exercises to you, see this little article as a reminder or as a nudge to do them or keep doing them. Back exercises, the right ones done in the right way, really will help!