Which Cardio Exercise Is Best For Back Pain?

Cardio is something that often people want to get into. The 5 main ones are walking, cycling, running, rowing and the cross-trainer.

Walking is often the go-to for everybody, it allows good movement in an upright position. You should have good posture where your head is above the shoulders, in line with the hips, knees and feet. If you have back pain, getting up and moving around is going to be helpful to relieve discomfort. Walking poles can help you to stay upright and support you. If you’re increasing your walking intensity, increase on a flat route first rather than a hilly one. Walking uphill is something that can feel better at first because it puts your body into flexion, which opens out the holes at the back of your discs, but it can increase the pressure on your discs which isn’t helpful in the long-run.

Cycling can vary how good it is depending on the type of bike you’re using. It’s not an ideal exercise because you’re sat down, but also on a road bike or a spin bike you’re going to be in flexion for an extended period of time. This is counter productive when you’re trying to rectify your back problem. Bikes that are recumbent are not very helpful but an upright bike on a short ride would be helpful. As soon as you’ve finished the bike ride, use the towel exercise to help oppose that forward bend your spine has been under. At traffic lights or any time you’re having to wait for traffic, try and fidget to loosen yourself out.

Rowing is one that is often recommended as it can build the back muscles. It’s not the most ideal exercise. Use the towel straight after doing the exercise and maintain your back’s natural lordosis during the entirety of the exercise.

Cross-trainer/Elliptical. This is usually found at the gym but you might have one at home. Use the static handlebars in the middle and it’ll be an effective, low impact exercise. It puts a bit of a wiggle through the hips which can help drain excess fluid and inflammation, this is going to be easy on the lower back at the same time. You’re also able to increase the intensity very easily in a way that’s not really going to stress your back.

Running is something we wouldn’t recommend at first as it’s high impact. If you’re running too slow you’re going to plod and be even more high impact for your spine. Running is a good thing to work towards as it helps to strengthen the discs and bones. If you have enjoyed it in the past, try running quicker for less distance rather than longer at slower paces. You can use a cross-trainer to build up fitness at first.