Did you know there are a few spinal stenosis exercises that harm the spine making the condition worse rather than improving it?
This is why it is important to know about the spinal stenosis exercises to avoid that will eventually help you recover faster.
What is spinal stenosis?
Spinal stenosis is a medical condition resulting in the narrowing of the spinal canal. This will then lead to compression of nerves causing pain and numbness.
Exercises for spinal stenosis are a natural way to decrease back pain and heal the stenotic spine. Other than that, spinal fusion surgery is the last resort to treat spinal stenosis. But due to the complications associated with surgery, many people avoid having one.
Now let’s highlight the spinal stenosis exercises to avoid and to do for a better and faster recovery. Let’s dig in!
Spinal Stenosis Exercises to Avoid
Do you often wonder why your back pain is not going away even after exercising daily? Do you think you need to add new exercises to your routine? Don’t worry! We have got you covered!
Mostly the narrowed spine or compressed nerve is the reason for causing back pain. However, not every back pain requires urgent attention. Sometimes the spinal stenosis can easily be treated simply by exercising at home.
As we know that cervical and lumbar injuries are the most common injuries of the spine. This is why knowing about spinal stenosis exercises to avoid further complications is important. Let’s discuss them one by one!
Extension Exercises
Note: Any exercise that involves hyperextension of the spine is contraindicated in spinal stenosis!
Yes, that’s right! The reason that you have to avoid back extension exercises is that as you extend your back, it compresses the already compressed spine leading to worsening of the condition.
Following are the spinal stenosis exercises to avoid:
- Cobra pose
- Butt Bridge
- Hip Extension
- Superman stretch
Remember that you want to stabilize the back and not ruin it for good. So it’s better that you focus on exercises that put less strain on the back, like back flexion.
Running, Jogging & Hiking
As these activities put stress on the spine resulting in severe pain, the experts recommend you avoid performing any of these till you recover fully.
What’s the alternative?
It is better to walk for a few minutes, that too without carrying any load on the back. However, avoid complete rest as that can result in immobilized joints that have other consequences.
Heavy Lifting
It sounds like bad news for gym freaks. And it’s too sad that we can’t do anything about it. You have to avoid deadlifting as lifting heavy weights requires you to hyper-extend the spine, which, as we already said, is bad for spinal stenosis patients.
Note: Follow your physician’s advice and never go beyond the set limit as that can terribly affect your back.
Contact Sports
Another thing that might disappoint you is, you have to avoid playing sports that involve too much twisting and bending like Golf, or tennis. Plus, you should avoid the sports that demand constant running and jumping, like soccer or basketball.
So these were some of the spinal stenosis exercises to avoid. Now the question arises, are there any alternatives or safe exercises for spinal stenosis that you can do?
And the Good news is, there are many cervical and lumbar stenosis exercises that can positively affect your spine helping you recover sooner.
Related: Spinal Stenosis and Walking Problems – Is Walking Good for Spinal Stenosis?
Cervical and Lumbar Stenosis Exercises to Avoid?
These are a few cervical stenosis exercises to avoid:
- Arm strengthening exercises that involve lifting weights above the head.
- Neckroll
- And basically, any other exercise that involves too much movement or extension of the neck.
We have pretty much explained the lumbar stenosis exercises to avoid. These include;
- Back extension
- Lunges
- Butt bridge
- And extension stretches.
Note: For people with lumbar stenosis, apart from a few spinal stenosis exercises to avoid, there are standing lumbar extension exercises that are allowed and help in the healing of the spine.
Safe Exercises for Spinal Stenosis
Note: Flexion helps relieve pain by giving your spine some room to breathe, unlike the extension that recompresses the already compressed spine.
All of the following exercises or stretches for spinal stenosis include flexion of the back.
- Back Flexion
- Cat-cow Transition
- Gluteal stretch
- Pelvic tilt
- Try swimming, cycling, and use weight machines instead of free weights.
- Apart from that, there are a few yoga poses for spinal stenosis that have proved to decrease the severity of spinal stenosis.
What activities should be avoided with spinal stenosis?
There are a few things to avoid with spinal stenosis other than exercises. We have listed them down for you to easily keep a record.
- Avoid excessive running, or jogging as we have already explained above.
- Restrain from hiking, driving, and horse riding if you have cervical stenosis.
- Do not overuse anti-inflammatory drugs. As we all know that steroids have major side effects if used for a prolonged period. So it’s better to be safe than sorry!
- Make sure to avoid chores that demand standing for long hours, for example, ironing.
- Do not play contact sports.
- The most important point is to stay calm and do not take stress about your condition.
FAQs
The only way to start early mobilization of the spine is to exercise regularly. You might not believe it but moving your spine as early as possible will alone prevent it from getting worsened.
Conclusion
The whole point of the exercise is to gain flexibility and strengthen the affected muscles. If an exercise is not providing you with that, stop it right away!
So these were the spinal stenosis exercises to avoid. Hopefully, your head is now clear and you will see improvement in pain in no time.
However, we always recommend you consult your doctor before opting for any treatment. And always contact your doctor whenever you feel discomfort, or if your symptoms are not showing any sign of improvement.
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