6 Effective Exercises to Ease Back Pain & Heal Your Spine
It turns out that back pain is a more
common problem than we’d like to think. A 2018 study showed that in the
past few decades time spent with back pain has increased by 54%
worldwide. One reason for this spike might be due to the fact more and
more people fall into a routine of a sedentary lifestyle, working in
front of screens for hours every day. While we can’t control the aspects
of modern life that contribute to back pain, we can certainly take some
preventative measures to improve our health, like this exercise set
invented by the famed surgeon Nikolai Amosov.
A few words on Nikolai Amosov and his set
of exercises
Nikolai Amosov was a brilliant heart surgeon, inventor, and best-selling
author from Russia. Among his many contributions to the world, Amosov,
who suffered himself from recurring back pain, created a set of
exercises meant to ease those pains. He proved their effectiveness on
himself. Amosov lived a long life, and not only did his spine heal
thanks to the exercises, but they also helped in strengthening his
muscles and avoiding joint problems, and the whole set only takes 30
minutes to complete.
Bear in mind, however, that he performed each exercise 100 times at the
maximum pace - his pulse reached 110–120 beats per minute, which is very
close to aerobic training. For beginners, it is recommended that you
start with 4–5 exercises from the list and do 10-15 repetitions of each.
When you feel comfortable, you may incorporate all the exercise and
raise the speed and the number of repetitions.
1. Back sit-ups on a chair
1. Lie down on a chair on your abs, facing down.
2. Lock your hands behind your head.
3. Put your legs straight out. You can rest them on a sofa if needed.
4. Stretch your whole body and make it parallel to the floor.
5. Bend backward at your lower back as much as possible, raising the upper torso as shown in the picture.
6. Repeat 10 times.
2. Yoga Bend
1. Lie down on your back, preferably on a
yoga mat.
2. Place your hands straight along your body.
3. Lift your feet towards the ceiling. Slowly bend them back even more -
try to touch the floor behind your head with your toes. If you can’t
make the full movement, don’t worry, just try to reach as far back as
you can.
4. Repeat 10 times.
3. Palm Behind Your Back
1. Stand up straight.
2. Raise your hand and reach it behind your back.
3. Touch the opposite shoulder blade with your palm. Your head may push forward a little bit.
4. Repeat 10 times with each hand.
4. Body Shake
1. Stand on all fours on your knees and make sure your arms are straight.
2. Start shaking by doing a quick and sharp bending of your arms at the elbows and relax your back.
3. Do this for 30-60 seconds.
5. Swinging from side to side
1. Lie on your back, preferably on a yoga mat.
2. Bend your knees towards your chest and clap them with your hands.
3. Start swinging your body back and forth.
4. Repeat 10 times.
6. Back sit-ups on the ground
1. Lie on your stomach, preferably on a yoga mat.
2. Your hands should be straight along your body, palms facing the floor.
3. Lift your head and chest and hold for 3 seconds.
4. Repeat exercise 3 times.