3 Moves for Better Spinal Health

Low back pain can be caused by spinal instability. However, the “big three exercises” can help with overall spinal health.  

Maintaining a strong core can help stabilize your spine and keep it healthy. With age, injury, or even a minor mishap, the muscles and ligaments around your spine may weaken, making it more difficult to perform movements such as twisting, lifting, lifting, and bending.

People suffering from back pain and poor spinal health are often afraid of movement. This can cause their back to become stiffer and make their pain worse. Healthy movements are more beneficial for the lower back, as they reduce the risk of injury and pressure.

Full engagement

A balanced approach to the entire core muscle system is key to spine stability. This means that you engage all core muscles simultaneously — from your abdominal muscles to your whole back.”

This is useful when you need to perform actions that require strength and speed, such as lifting groceries or placing them on the floor.

Proper spinal health is when your entire system is working together simultaneously. And if there’s one component that’s slightly off, it likely will impact the whole structure.

How can you have a stable spine?

We recommend the “big three” exercises, which are based on spine bio-mechanics. These three include; The Curl-Up, The Side Plank, and The Bird Dog. They actively engage all the important muscles needed to improve spine stability.

Here are the steps to complete each of these three major exercises. The pyramid sequence is where you should start with five repetitions of each exercise. Then, do three repetitions of each. Finally, finish by performing each exercise once more.

You can increase the reps for each exercise as you become more familiar with the routine. However, it is important to keep the descending sequence present.

Curl-up

1. Place your back on the ground. Place one foot on the ground. Place your other foot flat on the ground by bending your knee.
2. To maintain your natural arch, place your hands below your lower back.
3. On an exhalation, lift your head, shoulders, and chest off the floor as though they were all connected. (Stay off the ground just enough to feel tension in the muscles. Do not bend your lower back, tuck or tilt your head.
4. Hold this for 10 seconds, then slowly lower your body down.
5. Do five repetitions. Then switch legs and continue the exercise.

Side plank

1. Place your forearm under your shoulder and place your head on your side. Your free hand should be at the hip. Your knees should be at 90 degrees.
2. Keep your hips elevated off the ground so that they align with your body. Hold this position for up to 10 seconds. Keep your hips straight from your head to the floor. Slowly lower your hips to the ground.
3. You can repeat this five times. Flip to the other side to continue the exercise.

Variation: Straighten your legs, instead of bending them.

Bird-dog

1. Place your hands on the ground and bend down.
2. Lift your left arm up and extend it forward. At the same time, lift your right leg straight behind you. Both the leg and arm should be parallel to the ground. Keep your hips aligned with the floor and your torso straight.
3. Hold this for 10 seconds, then return to the original position.
4. Continue the exercise five times more, then switch to the opposite arm and leg to finish the exercise.

We hope these moves for better spinal health help you get closer to achieving a pain free lifestyle, but as always we are here to help! We’d love to schedule some training sessions with you, or feel free to stop in for a session in our community open gym. If you’ve got any questions feel free to contact us today!