However, if you have struggled with a bad back for a long period of time, you may be completely terrified of the idea of exercise. You don’t want to injure your back further but you also cannot remain immobile because that’s one of the worst things you can do for your back- as it will increase stiffness and decrease mobility. 

The good news is that working out with a bad back does not have to be scary, and it can actually be super beneficial for your back AND overall health. Once cleared by your doctor to begin exercise after a back injury or back pain, check out our top 10 fitness tips for individuals who suffer from chronic back pain:

• Do resistance training: According to a study published in 2014, exercise is a very important strategy for managing back pain. The researchers found that resistance training was the most effective form of exercise for people with a bad back. However, the length of time and repetitions completely depends on the individual so be sure to consult with a professional before beginning intensive strength training.

• Try gentle yoga: Yoga is ideal for maintaining back strength and flexibility. However, it is also easy to injure yourself during yoga if you are not careful.  According to The Harvard Medical School, yoga can be helpful for strengthening muscles that support the spine, and yoga breathing techniques can help relieve back pain. Nonetheless, if you do not properly lengthen into an exercise and move too fast, you significantly increase your risk of injury. To protect your back, avoid twisting and extending at the same time, use props for additional support when needed, and stop if a move ever feels too uncomfortable.

• Focus on core stabilization exercises: In 2017, researchers conducted a study that compared core stabilization exercises with routine physical therapy exercises as a treatment for chronic back pain. The researchers found that the core stabilization exercises were more effective in reducing lower back pain than routine physical therapy. Thus, if you struggle with a bad back, try doing core exercises on a stability ball to help decrease back pain.

• Go for a walk: Walking is a great, low-impact form of cardio that has many benefits for individuals of all ages and with various health concerns. According to Veritas Health, walking strengthens the muscles that support your spine, increases the blood flow to your back, flushes out toxins, and increases flexibility in your lower back. This can overall help increase the function of your lower back and increase the strength of your back, helping to control chronic back pain.

• Avoid sit-ups and crunches: According to the Harvard Medical School, sit-ups and crunches are hard on your back because they push your curved spine into the floor and work your hip flexor muscles. When your hip flexors are too tight, they tug on the lower spine and can cause back strain. Instead of sit-ups and crunches, opt for exercises that strengthen the back and use multiple muscles, such as the plank.

• Don’t neglect areas surrounding your back, such as your hips: The hip joints and thoracic spine (which runs from the base of the neck to the abdomen) are very important in maintaining back health. These joints surround the back area, and according to the American Council on Exercise, if the hips and/or thoracic spine are not properly flexible and mobile, then the low back will have to absorb more stress than it should have to withstand. So, it is important to focus on strengthening and stabilizing the back’s surrounding areas to improve overall back health and manage chronic back pain.

• Don’t be too afraid of re-injuring your back: One of the most common concerns about exercising with a bad back is injury. Of course, you should always use caution when working out and you should not push your limits. Nonetheless, research shows that exercise is safe for people with back pain, and it does not increase the risk of future back injuries. Thus, don’t let fear stand in your way of reaching your fitness goals!

• Try recreational swimming, specifically the backstroke and breaststroke: An article from New York Times explains that backstroke and breaststroke are two of the safest swim strokes for those with back pain. Many people find that swimming helps alleviate back pain, and swimming is a good way to get in cardio because it is low-impact on the joints. 

• Wear proper footwear: Back pain and your shoes are closely related so if you suffer from chronic back pain, it is important to always wear the proper shoes for exercise. According to an article by chiropractor Michael Piccirillo, shoes that don’t fit well can negatively impact your back health. Thus, be sure to choose athletic shoes (preferably shoes made for running) that are well-cushioned and have ample arch support. 

• Know your limits: While it is very important to remain active even with a bad back, you must also acknowledge that you may not be able to do the same exercises as people without chronic back pain. Exercise has many benefits for back pain, such as alleviating stiffness and increasing mobility, but if something feels too painful or uncomfortable, stop immediately. Additionally, if you experience intense pain for longer than 15 minutes, be sure to contact your doctor. It’s so important to always listen to your body!

A study published by Cell Metabolism found that restricting fat consumption leads to more body fat loss in people with obesity than restricting carb consumption.

Additionally, the same study found limiting carb consumption resulted in greater overall weight loss compared to the reduced-fat diet. It also founded the reduced-fat diet led to decreased insulin secretion, increased fat oxidation, and increased body fat loss compared to baseline levels.

The study observed 19 adults with obesity who were confined to a metabolic ward for two 2-week periods. After determining baseline levels, the subjects were provided either a reduced carbohydrate diet or a reduced fat diet which they strictly adhered to. After a 2-4 week washout period, baseline studies would be conducted again and the subjects would then consume from the diet plan they were not originally given.

Low-Fat Diet The Way To Go

According to the study, body fat loss was determined by the difference between daily fat intake and net fat oxidation (the conversion of fat into smaller molecules that can then be burned off as energy). Though the reduced carbohydrate diet had greater increases in fat oxidation and the reduced fat diet had no change in fat oxidation, fat loss was greater in the reduced-fat diet.

The study also took care to make sure the diets had a measure of constancy. While both the reduced-calorie and reduced-fat diets were 30 percent less in calories than the baseline diet (2,740 calories), the diets themselves both had the exact same number of calories (1,918 calories). Protein levels remained unchanged for the most part, though the reduced-fat diet had an insignificant increase at 105 grams, while the baseline and reduced-calorie diets had 101 grams.

Bottom line: Calorie for calorie, the reduced-fat diet led to more body fat loss than the reduced-carb diet.

The article journaling the discovery was published on Aug. 13, 2015 in Cell Metabolism journal. According to scientist Mark P. Jedrychowskim who wrote the article, “Irisin is an exercise-induced myokine [protein secreted from skeletal muscle] with beneficial metabolic functions.”

The discovery comes following an experiment by Jedrychowskim, et al. using tandem mass spectrometry, a fairly recent tool in the scientific world that detects molecules by their weight and/or mass. The experiment used plasma samples from two test groups: one, where the subjects (6 males, roughly 25 years old, with an average BMI of 24.3) exercised 3 days out of the week on a cycle ergometer at 90% peak aerobic capacity; and a second, sedentary group (4 males, roughly 26 years old, with an average BMI of 26.1), who did not participate in the aerobic exercise training.

The level of iris in present in the sedentary individuals was ~3.6 ng/ml, while levels in the individuals who participated in aerobic activity were at ~4.3 ng/ml. According to Jedrychoskim, this suggests human irisin is regulated by exercise.

For the moment, human irisin’s exact functions remain unknown, though its discovery is certain to lead scientists to determine irisin’s relationship with the human body.