Specific Exercises For Lower Back Pain
Full bent-knee sit-ups are not recommended by most back pain specialists. And straight-leg sit-ups are taboo. You may find that full bent-knee sit-ups are feasible for you after at least a month on the modified version.
Single and double-leg raises are not recommended by most people with disc problems. In fact, judging from the comments and feedback, it seems safe to say that the excessive pressure exerted on discs by double-leg raises should be enough to have the exercise outlawed for these back sufferers.
The value of single-leg raises is more debatable. About one-third of back pain sufferers who had surgery for ruptured discs felt that this exercise helped prevent excessive post-operative scarring and subsequent limitations. And these individuals had much better outcomes than their counterparts who underwent surgery but didn’t do single-leg raises.
On the other hand, a majority of ruptured disc sufferers who did not have surgery considered single-leg raises potentially harmful. In conclusion, I would suggest that you do the more conservative hamstring stretch. If you have had disc surgery, I further suggest that you be willing to try single-leg raises cautiously – if they are prescribed by a competent exercise expert as part of your rehabilitation or maintenance program
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How to Do a Single-Leg Raise
Lie on your back. Keep one leg bent and extend your other leg flat on the floor. Lock the knee of your extended leg and raise the leg slowly until your foot is about 60 cm (2 feet) off the floor.
If you stop the upward motion at this point, you will minimize the pressure on your discs. Holding your leg here – at about a 30-degree angle – for 3 seconds is a good exercise for strengthening your hips. (By the end of the first week, build up to five repetitions with each leg. Then build up to ten repetitions by the end of the second week.)
If you continue raising your leg towards 90 degrees, you will be strengthening your hips and stretching your hamstring muscles.
Note: Not many back practitioners recommend stretching your hamstrings by bending over and touching your toes. But you may be told to do this by some specialists. You’ll also find this exercise in a number of bestselling exercise books. My advice: don’t do it. It simply isn’t worth the risk of injury. ‘I was in an exercise class touching the floor with the palms of my hands when I heard a “pop”,’ a business manager wrote. ‘I had ruptured my disc and could not straighten up. I wound up in bed. The right exercises are crucial.’
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