Core Strengthening Exercises For Back (Muscle) Pain

[Payton1221]

My wife has been a nurse for nearly 30 years, and she's been having more and more problems with her back. It will sometimes be low back but sometimes mid-back. She finally went to the doctor today who said it was a muscle issue (and prescribed muscle relaxers I think) and not skeletal.

Has anyone with a similar situation been able to reduce the frequency or intensity of back problems through exercising? I had a similar problem several years ago and while not purposefully programming certain exercises for it, my back pain is better and probably due to the front squats and OHP's I do that simultaneously work my core.

But what exercises have any of you done that have provided some relief? Stu McGill's Big 3? Yoga? Planks?

[Iceman1800]

For the mid back, look up exercises for Upper Cross Syndrome. I'm not saying she has that but the exercises hit that area.

[grouchyjarhead]

Two herniated discs here as you know.

When going through rehab, the McGill core exercises and the resets from the Original Strength system were a godsend. I still stretch regularly, do a fair bit of planks (my favorite is using Tabata circuits of front planks and dorsal holds, rest 2 minutes, then a Tabata of left and side planks for a total of 10 minutes).

This is the Original Strength system.

https://www.amazon.com/Pressing-Rese...gateway&sr=8-1

You feel a bit like an idiot doing them at first, but now I love them and try to do them every day.

[Payton1221]

For the mid back, look up exercises for Upper Cross Syndrome. I'm not saying she has that but the exercises hit that area.

Interesting. I think she just might have upper cross syndrome as her posture isn't as good as it should be.

https://www.amazon.com/Pressing-Rese...gateway&sr=8-1

You feel a bit like an idiot doing them at first, but now I love them and try to do them every day.

I bought the book off eBay and it should be here in a week or so. One reviewer said he was able to do dips again, so I'm going to give the exercises a try too

[grouchyjarhead]

I bought the book off eBay and it should be here in a week or so. One reviewer said he was able to do dips again, so I'm going to give the exercises a try too

Honestly I use it most mornings and it's great. I typically do some diaphragmatic breathing when I first get into my living room, then start doing the segmental rolling on the floor (often just back and forth as it's a bit narrow in there). I usually feel my back and my shoulder loosen up on the first few rolls. Then I do the rocking and neck bobbing, and usually on the second set of rocking I can feel my hips loosen up (once they popped open hard, I thought I tore something). And the crawling makes a great warm-up in general. I baby crawled for a long long time but now I'm using mostly the spiderman crawl but occasionally use the baby crawl still too.

It made a big difference in all of my crawling - during some group training for a GORUCK event, I noticed my bear crawls were really strong now and I can even crab walk a bit again (before I never could because of my shoulder, even with just bodyweight alone). I'm a big fan of it and credit a good bit of my recovery to it.

[adamgentile]

Definitely yoga. I do these exercises when I feel my lower back starting to get stiff or act up, they do help and relieve the tension.

https://www.self.com/gallery/yoga-po...ower-back-pain