5 Hot Pilates Exercises for Chronic Lower Back Pain

Chronic lower back pain is among the most common injury suffered by both gender in all age group, but most significant in the elderly. There are many options available. If it is not too serious, you can choose to use non-invasive method like medication. Or play an active role in your own recovery by turning to Pilates if you prefer a more natural and long-term relief.

Specific Pilates exercises can strengthen core muscles to help in fighting off chronic lower back pain because your postural muscles groups are in charge of your form. If you have good core endurance, it will be reflected in your overall posture and prevent back injury.

Here are 5 great tips to get cracking:

1. Pelvic Tilt
Pelvic tilt is one of the best Pilates exercises that is used to assess your core strength especially if you have chronic lower back pain. It is a functional move. The ability to perform pelvic tilt means your lumbar spine is able to articulate and move. This mobility plays an important role in your recovery.
To perform the exercise, lie on your back.

Bend your knees with feet flat on the floor. Inhale to prepare and exhale by slowly pressing the small of your back firmly into the floor and lift hips up slightly. Start by lifting only to the level you can. Draw your bellybutton down to your spine as you exhale during the lift. Avoid lifting pelvis higher than your middle back as tension will build up in the back of the neck. Repeat 5-10 times.

2. Knee Sway
Knee Sway relieves tight vertical spinal column muscles that are tired and weak. It adds instant relief and acts to quickly take away radiating lower back ache.

Lie on your back. Knees bend and feet wide on the floor. Keep knees about hip width or imagine you have a big basketball between your knees. Inhale to prepare, exhale slowly and turn both knees to one side without collapsing your knees together. Always remember to engage your abdominals when moving both knees from one side to the other. Repeat 5-10 times.

3. Alternate Knee Lift
Alternate Knee Lift helps to stretch tight weak lower back muscles and train abdominals at the same time. It is a simple beginner exercise and a safe exercise to start on your journey to strengthen your back.

Lie on your back. Knees bend and feet wide on the floor. Keep knees about hip width. Inhale to prepare, exhale slowly lift one leg (knee still bend) off the floor and towards your chest about waist level. Avoid bringing your knee too close to the face. Repeat 5-10 times for one leg and switch to the other leg.

4. Swan Prep
This exercise alleviates chronic lower back pain by strengthening your back extensors. Such muscles are usually overstretched and weak in people with back pain.

To start, lie on your tummy on the floor, face down. Put your palms at chest level, near your armpits, under your shoulders. Your elbows are bent. Keep the back of your neck long with your nose floating off the floor. Inhale to prepare, exhale slowly and lift your bellybutton up and away from the floor.

Keep the abdominals lifted as you press your palms into the floor. Exhale as you lift the chest slightly off the floor with the back of the neck long and face looking down. Avoid lifting chin up and looking forward. Face should always be looking down. Repeat 5-10 times.

5. Cat
Cat is a great for back stretching and improving flexibility. It can also be used as a warm-up for other Pilates exercises.

Get on all fours with your knees and your hands on the floor. Check to have your palms under your shoulder. Inhale to draw your tummy in and round your upper back to the ceiling and your eyes to your belly button as in an angry cat. Exhale as you arched your back (tummy dropping to the ground) and look upwards. The move resembles a stretching cat. Repeat as many times as you are comfortable.

Cool Down with Child's Pose
Child's Pose is one of the easiest and most relaxing Pilates exercises.
Start with all fours. Sit back on your heels. Your butt should be on your heels. Your chest should be on your knees. Your knees should be shoulder width apart as you keep your toes together. Drape your body over your thighs.

Your forehead should rest on the floor or on the back of your palms. Next, stretch your arms out to your front. Deeply breathe and relax as you remain in the position for several minutes. This should help to release tension in your neck, hips, and lower back.

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Chronic Lower Back Pain - You CAN Get Rid Of It

Chronic lower back pain can be caused by quite a few different factors. The problem is, the lower back (lumbar region) is the main support for the weight bearing motions we all go through every day and is particularly susceptible to injury.

Your back is a powerful, intricately designed support system for your body that is made up of bone, muscular tissues, tendons, ligaments and discs. They have to all be in balance and work together or injury and chronic lower back pain is the result.

If we try to lift something incorrectly or take part in a strenuous physical activity (like sports) without an adequate stretch and warm-up, we could pull, strain or tear a muscle. Or, an the worst end of the spectrum, could even cause bone fractures.

Chronic Lower Back Pain - The Disc...
These same types of activities could create a bulging, slipped or herniated disc. The discs are made up of cartilage pads that act like shock absorbers between the vertebrae. They cushion the area in between the different segments of the spine.

Daily gravity, wear and tear on the discs makes the fluids seep out of them - making them less effective as shock absorbers as the day wears on. This loss of fluid can cause us to lose as much as 3/4 of an inch in height throughout the day! This is normal and the liquids are reabsorbed at night (if you get a good nights rest) but as we age, the ability to reabsorb the liquids lessens. This is commonly known as degenerative disc disease.

And these are only a few of the problems that could cause chronic lower back pain and have us searching for some severe back pain relief. There is sciatica, osteoporosis, arthritis, rheumatism, just to name a couple others.

In many cases, it is difficult to determine - even for medical professionals - what the root cause of lower back pain is. It could be something as simple as bad posture!
Chronic Lower Back Pain - Muscle Strain

But, more often than not, chronic lower back pain is caused by a soft tissue muscle strain. These can be notoriously difficult to recover from - thus the chronic lower back pain.

Research has shown that muscle strain can lead to eventual total imbalance of the spine and its structure... which in turn leads to a relentless strain on the muscle groups, ligaments, skeletal frame (bones), as well as discs, causing the lower back to be even more vulnerable to further injuries.

Whatever is causing the chronic lower back pain can eventually lead to other problems as we compensate for our injuries. For example, if you have strained a muscle you will more than likely begin to carry yourself differently to avoid the pain. In doing so, you end up over using muscles groups that weren't sore to begin with, and end up with more pain in new areas.

Stress and depression can also cause chronic lower back pain. An individual's state of mind can have a powerful impact on the height of your pain as well as whether or not it results in long lasting, chronic lower back pain. Individuals that suffer from depression, are under a huge amount of stress, or are generally unhappy will often experience symptoms and seek lower back pain relief.
Are you scared yet? You should be, I certainly am! Chronic lower back pain is nothing to fool around with.

Chronic Lower Back Pain Prevention...
If you are healthy now, get started on a daily regimen of back and abdominal exercises. These should include both stretches and strengthening. Don't forget your abdominal muscles! They help support your back more than you may imagine. And yes, if you are overweight, you need to change that.

These preventative type exercises can be done in only a few minutes a day, but can easily save you a lifetime of pain and suffering. According to CNN.com "More than 50 million Americans deal with chronic pain, at a cost of more than $100 billion annually." It is one of the leading causes of missed work! Chronic Lower Back Pain Recovery... If you are already injured...

As always, it is best to check with your doctor to be certain of the cause, but it is likely a muscle strain. In that case, take an anti-inflammatory medication (a systemic enzyme) and apply ice for the first 48 hours. Stay away from the prescription and OTC medications, they all have well documented side effects that can literally kill you!

Our bodies naturally produce anti-inflammatory enzymes. As we age and/or when we are injured, we need to boost our systemic enzymes. As pain killers and anti-inflammatory medication, they work better than anything you are likely to be taking OTC and they have no known side effects!

Next, apply heat to get the blood flowing into the area. If there is someone that can give you a massage that is a great option. A massage will not only get the blood flowing, but will help to release our body's natural pain killing endorphins.

While injured, though the desire will be to rest, current research shows that inactivity will weaken the muscles and make the problem worse. You need to stay active... Start with some - gentle - stretches and gradually (as your back gets better) work your way into muscle strengthening routines. The good news is... You don't need to live with chronic lower back pain.

Once you become aware of some of the causes of chronic lower back pain, you can start working on the solution. Whether it is just making simple lifestyle changes or requires medical attention, you can find the help you need.

Suffering with chronic back pains - or any other sore muscles - can completely take over your life! But... what if you just can't seem to shake it?

To learn more about Chiropractic Care, there are a ton of interesting articles at: [http://chiropractic-care.org] Another great site to check out is "[http://lumbago1.com]". Either of these sites can give you the information you need to FINALLY get some back pain relief! Check them out right now while you are thinking about it! What have you got to lose? (Other than some pain!)
If you know a few tried and true strategies - there is no need to suffer.

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