Workouts That Are Easy on Your Back

Back injuries are common and come from a wide range of causes. You might have 
been in a vehicle accident, injured your back from working out too hard, or bent over 
incorrectly while picking up something heavy. If you have a back injury, you can still 
exercise, but you need to choose carefully.

Partial Crunches

When you have a back injury, it is not easy to work on your core muscles. The majority 
of ab exercises involve the use of your back with a lot of bending, lifting, and twisting. 
Since this isn’t possible, you may think all ab exercises are out of the question, but it is 
still possible to exercise and work on your abdominal muscles without hurting your back 
too much. One good option is to do partial crunches, which means you are not doing a 
full situp. These are much easier on your back and really the only muscles being 
worked are your ab muscles. 

Swimming

As you might have already guessed, swimming is high up on the list of workouts that 
are easy to do even if you have back pain. Swimming comes in many forms, from 
swimming laps to doing aerobics while in the pool. Just moving your body continuously 
for at least 30 minutes while in the pool is a good workout, as you are using the water 
for resistance. With a bad back, a lot of exercises are going to be painful because this is 
your core where it needs to move and twist a lot. But with swimming, your back is being 
supported by the water, so there is much less stress put on your back muscles, helping 
you to burn calories without having pain.

Yoga

Yoga is good for your back since it works on your balance, flexibility, and strength, with 
plenty of modifications. Try gentler yoga moves that don’t cause too much pressure or 
stress on your back, but still help to stretch it out and strengthen it while you heal from 
your injury.

Wall Sits

Don’t forget about simple exercises that will work your leg muscles without affecting 
your back at all. One good and simple exercise you can do at home is a wall sit. You will 
stand up against a wall with your back flat and straight, then gradually bend your knees 
until you are in a sitting position. Imagine you are sitting on an invisible chair. Hold it for 
a few seconds, go back up, and repeat a few more times. Since your back is straight the 
entire time, this should not cause it any more pain.
