The Best Solution to Backache Is to Exercise More

If your back is aching right now, you should consult a physiotherapist to develop a plan for your body and pain. And if you want to stop back problems through comprehensive trainings, Shroyer also has some suggestions.

Tyros can try the following trainings:

Hip bridge

Air squat

Bird-dog

Improved side-bar support

If you have mastered the above training methods or you are already experienced, then try these:

Romanian hard pull

Dumbbell squat or goblet squat

Plank and side-bar supports

Superman training (prostrate as both ends raise)

Strength training should also be accompanied by stretching exercises. Shroyer recommends a basic project to avoid back problems. “Overall, if you don't feel acute pain and want to take precautions actively, the best routine program is stretch your hips and strengthen your legs and core strength.” For more details, you can check out Williams's lower dorsiflexion training, number 4 piriformis stretching, cat-bovine stretching and Fish-King supine stretching.

Shroyer says that based on your lumbar position, you can also find the most helpful training method by looking sideways into a full-length mirror and observing your lumbar curvature. If the lumbar spine is straight, the hamstring stretching is most effective, and if the curvature is large, the hip flexor stretch will be most effective.

If you have mild pain or just want to prevent back problems from arising in your future life, the current suggestions are more than enough. But many people with chronic back pain find even these basic stretching or exercise are difficult to perform.

“All pain is a combination of physical and mental responses,” Robertson said. It seems a bit far-fetched, and actually overcoming discomfort is largely about overcoming fear of pain.

He explains that if you feel pain every time you exercise, it's normal to get scared -- that's the job of a physiotherapist, who can get you to exercise more to get over your fear. Many are also told they merely have problems with their backs. But the fact that about 90 percent of back pain isn't serious means most people just need proper training to get rid of it, Robertson says. Some have a sudden recurrence of back pain, but that doesn't mean the pain will last them a lifetime.

Robertson says he also has intermittent back pain, which can be a struggle for him. “Every time back aches I feel like it's something I'll never get rid of. It's OK to admit it -- it's scary and overwhelming,” he says. “We should all talk about back pain in a more positive light. It may be terrible right now, but it can be surmounted.”