Which two exercises should you avoid if you have low back pain?

Tuesday Trivia!

Which two exercises should you avoid if you have low back pain?

A. The Superman

B. Bird-Dog

C. Roman Chair Extension

D. Side Bridge

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The answer is A and C! Both the superman exercise and the roman chair exercise put a lot of force on the low back discs. If they are already not happy, these two moves will only aggravate them further. Low back forces should be kept below 3300 Newtons to avoid compressing the vertebral disc and bones of the vertebrae. This may not be something you feel immediately, but overtime, these compressive forces add up. 

Here is a list of common exercises and the 

compression load they cause:

Sit-Up (bent knee)       3,300 N

Sit-Up (straight leg)     3,506 N

Curl-Up feet anchored     2,009 N

Curl-Up feet free     1,991 N

Quarter Sit-Up     2,932 N

Bent Leg Raise     1,767 N

Isometric Side Bridge     2,585 N

Roman Chair Extension     4,000 N

Back Extension (arms and legs)     6,000 N

Bird-Dog      2,000 N

McGill S, Low Back Disorders: Evidence Based Prevention and Rehabilitation. 

Human Kinetics. 2002.

The bolded exercises exceed the force limits we should be placing on our spinal vertebrae and discs. The bird-dog exercise, pictured above, is actually one of the best exercises you can be doing to help train your back and core muscles and relieve low back pain!