Avoid These Exercises to Save Your Spine
Do you ever wonder if your workout routine is what has been causing your back, neck or shoulder pain? There are several exercises that may be doing your body more harm than good.
1. Straight-Leg Toe Touch
Many people tend to loosen up by touching their toes. Instead, this warm-up routine puts a lot of pressure on the spine. Try loosening up by stretching your hamstrings first.
2. Good Mornings
By placing a barbell or weights on your shoulder’s and bending over with the legs straight, the lower back is compromised and can cause lower back strains.
3. Full Sit-Ups
Despite what we’ve been taught in elementary school, full sit-ups are not good for the lower back or neck. The pressure to sit all the way up strains the neck and the lower back instead of strengthening the core. Instead, try coming halfway into a crunch position.
4. Improper Treadmill Use
Most of us are guilty of it, and many of us have seen it. Picture someone using a treadmill on and incline, and leaning forward holding onto the front of the treadmill. Although we may be breaking a sweat by doing this, our compromised posture puts tremendous stress on the shoulders, upper back and neck. When using a treadmill, make sure you are using proper posture by keeping your head over your shoulders.
5. Miltary Press
By placing a barbell behind your back on your shoulders and pressing upwards, the shoulder joints are compromised and this can cause severe impingement syndromes in the shoulder. If you’re still going to do military presses, put the bar in front of you and do not let your arms go past a 90 degree angle when pressing up.
6. Full Squats
When most of us squat past a 90 degree angle, our spine’s flexibility becomes very limited. Our hips then go backwards and your torso falls forward, putting a tremendous amount of pressure on our lumbar 5 disc. Save your spine by only squatting to 90 degrees while staying in good posture.
For more tips on how to keep a healthy spine, visit your local Greensboro chiropractor at Club Chiropractic.