Strengthening your spine
Many people don't think of bones as living tissue, but they are. Like muscles, bones get stronger (denser) from doing strengthening exercises and weight-bearing exercises.
Weight bearing exercises such as walking, stair-climbing, etc. mainly strengthen bones in the legs, hips and lower spine. Strengthening exercises such as weight lifting or exercises that use the body as resistance (like push-ups) are effective in strengthening bones in the arms and upper spine.
For people who already have osteoporosis, weight bearing and strengthening exercises can help prevent further bone loss. These exercises also keep the back and abdominal and hip muscles that support the spine strong. Strong back and abs muscles reduce compression forces on the vertebrae and prevent back pain.
Balancing exercises (which strengthen muscles that support the spine in addition to improving balance) also reduce the risk of falls; a major concern for those with osteoporosis is breaking a hip or other bone in a fall. Stretching exercises can help in relieving back pain.
This is an exercise to strengthen the low back and abdominal muscles, and, again, teach you how to move your arms and legs separately from your spine.
- The goal of this exercise is to move your arms, legs, and then arms and legs on a diagonal without any spinal/abdominal/pelvic motion such as rocking or loss of your biased position.
- Start on your hands and knees (quadraped), and put your spine into your specific biased position. Having a friend rest a stick on your back often helps in finding your proper alignment, as well as in keeping your head in line with your spine.
- Lift one arm forward without sagging or changing your alignment. Put it back down and lift the opposite arm. Continue this alternately.
- Do the same with one leg at a time. You will find that the legs are much more difficult than the arms. Be very careful of your spinal position and movement.
- Do the opposite arm and leg at the same time. This is even more difficult and challenges your balance, which is excellent for spine strengthening.
- Hold each lift for 5 seconds.
- A reasonable goal is 20 of each
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