My Spine - Lumbar
Sport and exercise
A degree of physical activity is most often beneficial in limiting spinal pain.
Sport and regular exercise assist in keeping your body fit and your muscles
strong and it could help in reducing back pain. It is essential that you strength-
en your stomach muscles and your leg muscles.
When participating in sport, it is important to keep the following in mind:
• Sport that requires a twisting action of your back or that involves excessive
jumping (causing a jarring force on the discs) could have an adverse effect on
your back pain.
• Avoid sport or exercises that increases your back pain. Sporting activities
that are recommended for people with back pain would include swimming,
walking, cycling and low impact aerobic exercises.
• Some sporting activities such as bowls require a great deal of bending.
Protect your back by keeping it straight and by tightening your stomach mus-
cles. Use your strong leg muscles as much as possible when executing move-
ments that involve bending.
• Thorough warm-up exercises should be completed before commencing with
your sporting activity. Regular stretching exercises are also important in pre-
venting sport related injuries.
Sexual activity
Sexual activity is frequently inhibited by acute pain. A positive attitude and
proper communication with your partner could help you overcome apprehen-
sion and anxiety caused by your spinal pain. Try a different approach to mak-
ing love by adapting to a position that your back can tolerate.
Sexual intercourse provides a natural pelvic tilt movement which is to be
encouraged to relieve lower back pain. However, sexual intercourse can exac-
erbate the pain in acute phases.
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