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People are often confused about what they should do to reduce muscular back pain. In this article, we discuss if riding a stationary bike is good for lower back pain, and can people actually use it to solve lower back pain problem? Let’s find out.
Whatever your age may be, if you are suffering from lower back pain and thinking you are all alone facing this hurdle, then do not burden your mind.
According to a study, the majority of adults suffer from lower back pain at least once in their life.
Physiotherapists and gym instructors recommend mild aerobic exercises which include regular body stretches and riding a stationary bike is good to treat lower back pain.
So the question arises is riding a stationary bike at your gym is effective for lower back pain?
“is bike riding good for lower back pain?!”
Before we come to any decision, let us find out what causes lower back pain.The following reasons mention why lower back pain actually occurs.
Reasons Why You Get Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain usually occurs when you feel discomfort in your sacral spine (bottom part of your lumbar disc spine L5).
- The reasons can differ according to your physical activities; wrong form or angle during a workout exercise, sudden unusual bending, or a lot of sitting can cause a mild lower back which ultimately leads to severe pain if not fixed properly.
2. The other causes can be a muscle spasm (sudden contraction in your lower body spine between L1 to L5) which can lead to a torn muscle.
3. Lower back pain can also be chronic. This could be because of some nerve damage in your back.
4. Lower back pain can also be because of certain spinal injury. If the lower back pain is due to spinal injury, it is better that you get help from a certified physician before starting to use stationary bikes for back pain workouts.
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What to do when you get back pain?
Visiting your private doctor may not help, as most lower back pain has more to do with active physical exercises preferably riding a stationary bike at the gym and stretching your back muscle than taking regular medicine. Regular medicine may provide you temporary relief but it will never treat the root cause of the pain.
Note: This article is not about what you should do when back pain occurs. You obviously need to visit a doctor if you have consistent pain in your back. However, if it can be solved through exercise, then we can help you learn about how you can use stationary bikes to reduce back pain.
Fixing Lower Back Pain: Stationary Bike Riding
Fixing lower back pain requires regular aerobic exercises. Riding a stationary bike is the most authentic and effective source of efficient aerobic fitness.
When you ride a stationary bike, your gluteus medius and gluteus maximus – the main joining muscles of the lower hip) move up and down in random motion.
The continuous movement of these muscles is called ‘push and pull formula’.
The moment when you push down the paddle of the stationary bike, a mild contraction occurs in your hamstring muscles and when you pull up the paddle, the contraction is shifted at your L5. Thus this movement improves the blood circulation around your sacral spine and provides relief to the affected area. If continued for a month or more days it can treat the pain.
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Yes, Stationary Bikes Can Help With Back Pain
Riding a stationary bike is not only good for your back pain but can also help in improving your legs’ muscle flexibility. This aerobic exercise puts less weight and pressure over your knee joints and therefore, it is considered far more effective and constructive.
But if you have never used a stationary bike before, never do it without learning how to use it or have a gym instructor guide you so you don’t further damage your back muscles.
Here is what you need to do when riding a stationary bike:
- Slightly bend your knees for better push and pull
- Adjust the handle according to your height
- Adjust the resistance level to slow in beginning for warming up your body
- Increase the speed when you are adjusted to a normal resistance level
- If you are a beginner perform this exercise for 5 minutes at a time and three times a week
Combine Riding Stationary Bike with Other Exercises
Only performing stationary bike exercise to reduce lower back pain will not help you unless you take other precautions during a workout such as quitting the following exercises for temporary time-span:
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- Stiff leg dead-lifts
- Full squats
- Standing Hamstring Stretches
- Sit-Ups
- Plank exercise for back pain
- Gluten bridge for back pain
These exercises involve active lower back muscles and if you are already bearing pain on the area then doing the exercises can be extremely dangerous to your lower back.
Improve Your Core
You need to improve your core muscles if you are constantly getting back pain.
Exercises are there to minimize pain and improve your health. Bikes specifically are made to help you increase your metabolism, decrease weight, and work your core muscles.
When you boost your core strength, you are going to decrease the lower back pain once and for all.
Bottom-line: Riding Stationary Bike for Back Pain
While riding a stationary bike is a great exercise to strengthen your whole body. It can also help with lower back pain. But it is more important to know what is the root cause of chronic back pain. For that purpose, visit a doctor and get the necessary tests done.
If the chronic back pain is due to muscle spasm, then it will reduce with time. However, if there is an underlying serious problem, then the best way is to get professional help from doctors because exercises and other home remedies WON’T be of help in such a case.
With that said, stationary bikes can help reduce muscular back pain due to regular movement and exercise.
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Have something to add on reducing back pain with stationary bike ride? Tell it to us in the comments below. Or email us through the contact us page.
