Exercises For Low Back Injury Prevention (Increasing .

DIVISION OF AGRICULTURERESEARCH & EXTENSIONFamily and Consumer SciencesUniversity of Arkansas SystemFSFCS38Increasing Physical Activity as We AgeExercises for Low BackInjury PreventionLisa Washburn, DrPHAssistant Professor HealthJessica VincentProgram Associate AgrAbilityLaVona Traywick, Ph.D.Associate Professor GerontologyMost adults suffer from backpain at some point in their lives.This pain is often relatively mildand passes within a couple ofmonths. Chronic back pain lastslonger than three months andaffects about 25% of Americans.Most bouts of back pain can beprevented. Physical inactivity cancontribute to some risk factors forchronic low back pain, such asexcessive sitting. Sitting too muchis a major cause of low back painbecause muscles of the backshorten, stiffen and becomeweaker. Other causes are poorposture and inflexibility.Poor posture can force thebones in the spine out of align ment. This puts pressure on thebody’s pain sensors, the nerves.Inflexible muscles, particularlyin the hamstrings (at the back ofthe thighs), are strongly associ ated with back pain. Tight ham strings can affect range of motion.Inflexible hip flexor muscles mayalso cause back pain. The hipflexors are located on the upperthighs just below the hipbonesand allow you to lift your kneesand bend at the waist.Visit our web site at:http://www.uaex.eduLow back pain can beprevented by addressing thesecommon causes of pain: weakand inflexible muscles of thehamstrings and hips. Otherimportant areas to target are thebuttocks, abdominal muscles andthe muscles of the low back. Whenmuscles of the low back are tightand abdominal and buttocks mus cles are weak, the pelvis tilts for ward and can put extra pressureon the spine. This may cause lowback pain. Carrying extra weightaround the midsection can alsocause the spine to tilt and triggerback pain.Most Americans are not activeenough. Regular physical activitycan improve your overall senseof well-being; reduce risk ofchronic diseases like diabetes,heart disease and hypertension;and help with weight manage ment. A well-rounded exerciseroutine includes strengthening,stretching and stabilizing exer cises, in addition to aerobic exer cise. Aim for 150 minutes ofaerobic or cardiovascular activity,such as walking, each week.Exercises targeting themuscles of the lower back, hips,buttocks and hamstrings canincrease strength and flexibility.Increased strength and flexibilityin the muscles supporting theback may very well preventor reduce back pain. Performthe exercises in the followingroutine at least two to threetimes per week to improvestrength and flexibility.University of Arkansas, United States Department of Agriculture, and County Governments Cooperating

Sample Exercise RoutineStabilizing ExercisesEach of the exercises in the stabilizing section has three levels or variations. Exercise at the levelthat meets your needs. After you have completed the exercise on one side, return to the startingposition and repeat on the other side. Complete one to three sets of eight to twelve repetitionsunless otherwise instructed.Hip Extension (Targeted muscle groups: back, buttocks, hips)Level 11. Stand behind the back of a chair with your feet hip-widthapart.2. Place both hands on the back of the chair (see Figure 1).3. Shift your weight to your left leg and raise your right footup off the floor.4. Keeping your leg straight, press your right foot straightback (see Figure 2).5. Tighten your abdominal muscles to help keep from archingyour back.6. Hold for three seconds.Figure 1Level 21. Get down on your hands and knees in table-top position.2. Make sure your hands are below your shoulders and yourknees are below your hips (see Figure 3).3. Keeping your knee bent, raise your right leg up off the flooruntil your thigh is parallel to the floor (see Figure 4).4. Tighten your abdominal muscles to help keep from archingyour back.5. Hold for three seconds.Figure 2Figure 3Figure 4Level 31. Stand with your feet hip-width apart (see Figure 5).2. Shift your weight to your left leg and lift your right foot upoff the floor.3. Keeping your right leg straight, press your right footstraight back (see Figure 6).4. Tighten your abdominal muscles to help keep from archingyour back.5. Hold for three seconds.Figure 5Figure 6

Chair Pose (Targeted muscle groups: back,hamstrings)1. Stand with your feet close together.2. Raise your arms in front of you until theyare parallel to the floor.3. Bend both knees and squat slightly (seeFigure 8).4. Push backwards through your hips andkeep your weight in your heels.5. Make sure your knees do not extend overyour toes.6. Hold for three seconds.Variations: To decrease the intensity, you may holdon to a chair (see Figure 7); to increase intensity,raise your arms over your head (see Figure 9).Figure 7Level 1Figure 8Level 2Figure 9Level 3Triangle Pose (Targeted muscle groups:hamstrings, hips)1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart.2. Step forward with your right foot.3. Turn the toes of your right foot forwardand keep the toes of your left foot outward.4. Bend your right knee.5. Lean forward and place your right hand onyour right ankle.6. Raise your left arm up toward the ceiling.7. Look up toward your left hand (seeFigure 11).8. Hold for ten seconds. Work your way up to30 seconds. This completes one set.Variations: To increase the intensity, keep bothlegs straight (see Figure 12). To decrease theintensity, place your right hand in the seat of achair while you lean forward and raise your leftarm up toward the ceiling (see Figure 10).Figure 10Level 1Figure 11Level 2Figure 12Level 3Pyramid (Targeted muscle group: hamstrings)1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart.2. Step forward with your right foot.3. Make sure your toes on both of your feetare pointing forward.4. Keeping your back and legs straight, leanforward and reach your fingertips towardthe floor (see Figure 14).5. Hold for ten seconds. Work your way up to30 seconds. This completes one set.Variations: To increase the intensity, place yourhands on the floor and your forehead on your shin(see Figure 15). To decrease the intensity, placeboth hands in the seat of a chair while followingthe directions stated above (see Figure 13).Figure 13Level 1Figure 14Level 2Figure 15Level 3

Bird Dog (Targeted muscle groups: abdomen, back,buttocks)1. Get down on your hands and knees in table-topposition.2. Make sure your hands are directly under yourshoulders and your knees are directly underyour hips.3. Slowly raise your right leg behind you.4. Keeping your right leg straight and raised, raiseyour left arm in front of you (see Figure 17).5. Hold for three seconds.Variations: To increase the intensity, perform the exercisestanding. Raise your right leg and left arm until your arm,back and leg are parallel to the floor, without using thechair (see Figure 18). To decrease the intensity, lean for ward and place both hands on the back of a chair. Raisethe right leg until it is parallel to the floor (see Figure 16).Figure 16Level 1Figure 18Level 3Modified Downward Dog (Targeted muscle groups: back,hamstrings, hips)1. Get on your hands and knees in table-top position.2. Keeping your hands on the floor and your left legbent, straighten your right leg and press backthrough your right heel (see Figure 20).3. Keep your neck and back straight and your headpointed toward the floor.4. Hold for ten seconds. Work your way up to30 seconds. This completes one set.Variations: To increase the intensity, keep your hands onthe floor, straighten both legs and press back through bothheels (see Figure 21). To decrease the intensity, keep yourlegs straight and feet flat on the floor. Lean forward andplace both hands in the seat of a chair (see Figure 19).Figure 17Level 2Figure 19Level 1Figure 20Level 2Figure 21Level 3Strengthening ExercisesStrengthening exercises are designed to make the muscles of the lower back,

Strengthening Exercises . Figure 16 . Level 1 . Figure 17 . Level 2 . Figure 18 . Level 3 . Figure 19 Figure 20 Level 2 Figure 21 . Level 3 . Strengthening exercises are designed to make the muscles of the lower back, as well as those side unless otherwise instructed. Some exercises in this section use a small stability ball. If one is