3 EXERCISES TO AVOID IF YOU HAVE LOW BACK PAIN
If you have low back pain, the best remedy is to rest, let it heal by itself or get physical therapy. Low back pain is very common. It can result from a strain (injury) to muscles or tendons in the back. Other causes include arthritis, structural problems and disk injuries. If you are an exercise junky, you will want to continue to exercise. Here are 3 exercises to avoid if you have low back pain.
1.Deadlifts
Deadlifts are on the top of my list for compound movements that build muscle but are not a suitable exercise to do if you have low back pain. The reason is because your upper body goes into forward flexion when you do this exercise. Excessive forward flexion may aggravate your low back even more. Deadlifts can be implemented when your low back has healed. Always do 1 or 2 warm up sets before increasing the weight.
2. Crunches
Crunches are a decent exercise for working your upper abdominals but are best to avoid if you have low back pain. The reason is because your upper body consistently goes into forward flexion when you do this exercise. A better alternate is the plank as this exercise also strengthens your transverse muscle.
3. Deep Squats
Squats are the king of the exercises for building muscles in the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. Going all the way down to the floor(below 90) is great for flexibility but is not suitable if you have low back pain. Do you know the reason why? If you have guessed forward flexion of the upper body, you are correct. The load often shifts more to your low back when you go below 90 degrees.
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All in good health,
Paul Nam
