Back injuries are common and come from a wide range of causes. You might have been in a vehicle accident, injured your back from working out too hard, or bent over incorrectly while picking up something heavy. If you have a back injury, you can still exercise, but you need to choose carefully.
Partial Crunches
When you have a back injury, it is not easy to work on your core muscles. The majority of ab exercises involve the use of your back with a lot of bending, lifting, and twisting. Since this isn’t possible, you may think all ab exercises are out of the question, but it is still possible to exercise and work on your abdominal muscles without hurting your back too much.
One good option is to do partial crunches, which means you are not doing a full sit up. These are much easier on your back and really the only muscles being worked are your ab muscles.
Swimming
As you might have already guessed, swimming is high up on the list of workouts that are easy to do even if you have back pain. Swimming comes in many forms, from swimming laps to doing aerobics while in the pool. Just moving your body continuously for at least 30 minutes while in the pool is a good workout, as you are using the water for resistance.
With a bad back, a lot of exercises are going to be painful because this is your core where it needs to move and twist a lot. But with swimming, your back is being supported by the water, so there is much less stress put on your back muscles, helping you to burn calories without having pain.
Yoga
Yoga is good for your back since it works on your balance, flexibility, and strength, with plenty of modifications. Try gentler yoga moves that don’t cause too much pressure or stress on your back, but still help to stretch it out and strengthen it while you heal from your injury.
Wall Sits
Don’t forget about simple exercises that will work your leg muscles without affecting your back at all. One good and simple exercise you can do at home is a wall sit. You will stand up against a wall with your back flat and straight, then gradually bend your knees until you are in a sitting position.
Imagine you are sitting on an invisible chair. Hold it for a few seconds, go back up, and repeat a few more times. Since your back is straight the entire time, this should not cause it any more pain.
