Whether you’re experiencing upper, middle, or lower back pain, we feel for you. We know how difficult it can be to go about the day in discomfort.
The causes of back pain might vary from person to person, but one thing we’ve found that works for many of our chiropractic patients is pool exercises. Below, we’ll go over five exercises that can help reduce or eliminate your back pain in a short amount of time.
5 Pool Exercises That Can Help Ease Back Pain
Spending time in the water is one of the best ways to ease your back pain. The water exercises we’re going to mention are great, low-intensity workouts. They help your back in many ways, such as by strengthening your core, which reduces the impact on the back.
They also provide that much-needed relief with a lower chance of injury than other workouts. Here are a few specific exercises that our chiropractic team recommends:
Water Walking
Water walking is exactly like it sounds: walking through the pool. First, you’ll want to step into the pool. Then, you’ll want to take big steps forward and walk backward. We recommend beginning in the shallow part of the pool and walking toward the deeper end. As you walk, it’s important to maintain your posture.
Feel free to move faster after your body is warmed up. You can also go back and forth between walking and jogging for a few minutes if it’s comfortable for you.
How does water walking help your back? Exercising in the water alleviates discomfort in the body and helps with your mobility. You won’t have gravity working against you, which can help take the pressure off your back.
Kickboard Balance
If you’ve spent most of your summers in the swimming pool, you’ve probably come across a kickboard. It’s a rectangle-shaped board that you use to stay above the water while practicing different swimming techniques, such as kicking.
Balancing on a kickboard is a great way to ease back pain. Take a seat on the board, and be sure not to slouch. Hold your balance, and pull your belly button toward your spine. Allow your legs to hang in the water, and keep your hands out to the sides or on the edge of the kickboard.
Keep this position for one minute. This pool exercise helps to strengthen your core, which is instrumental in relieving back pain. If you want to kick up the intensity, feel free to kneel on the kickboard.
Knee-to-Chest
To perform this exercise, you’ll want to balance on one leg at a time. First, get in a comfortable position against the edge of the pool, holding onto it to keep yourself steady.
You can start with either leg. If you choose to do the left leg first, you’ll want to balance on that leg, slightly bending your knee. Then, bring your knee toward your chest slowly (as far as you can go) and back to the floor. Do this five times before doing the other leg.
This exercise is great for mobility and helps loosen up the muscles in the lower back. This can relieve pain from muscle tension, helping you feel your best again.
Superman Stretch
The superman stretch is one of our favorite back pain exercises. What you’ll want to do is hang onto the edge of the pool with your arms a little over two feet apart (just past the shoulders). Make sure not to bend your arms.
Once you have your hands in the proper position, step backward with your legs out wide so that you’re on top of the water. There’s no need to go under the water (unless you want to, of course!).
This exercise is great for back pain because the water will make you feel nearly weightless, and you can stretch out your back muscles and spine. That can help remove any tightness that you might be experiencing in the back.
Water Aerobics
Last but not least is water aerobics, a fun class offered by most gyms. When you do water aerobics, it will feel a lot like the exercises you do above water, such as jogging alongside your dog in the morning.
The main difference is that the aerobics are brought into the pool so that you can reap the same benefits while enjoying the featherlight feeling of being underwater (and removing any tension in your back and joints).
If you do water aerobics, just be sure to take the time to warm up your muscles for at least a few minutes and cool down after the exercise is over. That will ensure you don’t overdo it and give your muscles a good recovery, which will prevent additional back pain from doing an exercise that you might not be ready for at this time.
See a chiropractor for pain that won’t go away.
When even the best water exercises do nothing for your back pain, it’s time to work with a chiropractor on a back pain treatment plan. Here at Summit Chiropractic and Sports Institute, we provide various techniques to end your back pain. With our help, a speedy recovery is possible.
Need to schedule a chiropractic appointment? Summit Chiropractic and Sports Institute is ready to help. Arrange an appointment with our Spokane chiropractic office today.