Back Exercises You Should Never Do

It's alright being told what exercises we should do to help our backs but what about exercises we should not do? Below I've listed some that are better left alone if you have a back problem. Sit-ups are bad for you as you use your hip flexors, which are attached to each vertebrae on your lumber spine spine, so when you over use these muscles they generate force that pulls from the lumber are of the spine which causes stress to your lower back. Also when this exercise is performed with your hands behind the head, you're more likely to pull on your neck (cervical spine) and add additional unnecessary back pain. Leg raises and crunches are another exercise which they class as the 2nd worst exercise due to the potential harm it can do by involving the hip flexors as before with sit-ups and it can put your lower back into a compromising position. Twists of your body which is usually an exercise you do on a machine where you hold a couple of handles with a pad at your chest and twist from side to side. You can easily perform this twist improperly which can create sheering forces at the spine and injure the discs that protect your spine. Finally, low back extensions are another no, no, this is done on a machine where you sit with a weighted pad at your back. You lean forward then push yourself back up to sitting upright against the resisted pad. This movement tends to overuse the muscles of the lower back and can therefore cause more harm than good to your back.