Abdominal Exercises
can alleviate lower Back Pain

Abdominal exercises can be included in your daily workout routine to get and maintain stronger muscles.

There are several hundred different exercises and most of them are easy to do. A study at the Bio Mechanics Lab at San Diego State University compared 13 of the most common exercises and ranked them from the most to the least effective.

The top three exercises were:

1. Bicycle Maneuver

• Lie flat on a mat and put your hands next to your head.
• Hold your knees up to about 45 degrees and slowly perform a bicycle pedal motion.
• Touch your left elbow with your right knee, then your right elbow with your left knee.
• Do this for about 5-10 minutes.

2. Captain's Chair

• This exercise involves pilates equipment.
• Grip the handholds and lightly press your lower back against the back pad of the chair.
• Raise your legs, so that your the knees touch or get close to your chest. Slowly put the legs back down and repeat 8-10 times.

3. Exercise Ball Crunch

• You need an exercise ball, which costs about $15-30.
• Lie on the ball with your mid/lower back.
• Cross your arms over the chest.
• Raise your legs up.
• Lower the legs down. Repeat 8-10 times.

Exercises should be done frequently. Five minutes a day should bring results, if you do it regularly.

Strengthening the abs can help maintain good posture and alleviate lower back pain according to Dr. Francis, who led the study at the San Diego State University.

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