If you have recently been diagnosed with degenerative disc disease, you will want to have some ways to alleviate your pain and exercises can help. Although exercise will not reverse the damage to your spine it will relieve some of your pain that is caused by degenerative disc disease and it may slow down the progression.12 Keep reading to learn all about the best exercises for back or neck pain relief!
Strengthening your abdominal and lower back muscles helps support your spine and can provide some pain relief. When you are exercising, listen to your body and if it causes pain, stop. The exercises below are considered safe, but as with any new exercise program, it should be reviewed with your physician to make any customizations for your specific condition.12
Posture Exercises
Many people struggle with maintaining proper posture, but some of the best exercises for back pain relief can improve your posture, reducing strain on your spine. It’s recommended that you do each of the following exercises ten to twelve times per session and either once or twice a day.
- Tummy Tucks
- You can choose to sit erect in a chair or stand straight up.
- Take a big breath in and then breathe out slowly to a count of five.
- Pull in your lower stomach and up towards your spine.
- Take a normal breath and relax.
- Pelvic Slope
- Sit on the edge of a chair with your feet flat on the floor and your hands placed on your thighs.
- Contract your abdominal, back, and pelvis muscles while you pull your shoulders back in line with your chest.
- Take a breath in while you tilt your pelvis and ribs forward, open your chest and look up.
- Breath out and tuck your pelvis and hips back while you look down at your feet.
- Shoulder Blade Press
- Sit up straight in a chair and contract your abdominal muscles.
- Lift up your shoulders and roll them back and down to squeeze your shoulder blades together.
- Hold for five seconds.
Muscle Stretches
- Ham String
- Lie flat on your back using a mat on the floor
- Bend your knees with your feet flat on the floor
- Lift one of your knees towards your chest using your hands
- Straighten out the opposite leg and hold in place for 30 seconds or as long as you can
- Lift the same leg straight up towards the ceiling and place a towel or your hands on the back of your leg and pull gently towards your chest, hold for 30 seconds or as long as you can
- Repeat on the other side
- Glutes
- Lie flat on your back using a mat on the floor
- Bend your knees with your feet flat on the floor
- Take one leg and cross your ankle over the top of your thigh towards your knee
- Then with your hands or a towel, bring the leg that is still bent towards your chest
- Hold for 30 seconds while you feel the stretch, but you are still comfortable
- Repeat three times and then on the other leg
- Hip Flexor
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and point your toes forward
- Bend your left knee back bringing your heel up towards your buttocks
- Hold your left foot with your left hand or use a towel and gently pull your knee down towards the floor
- Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on the right leg
- If you need help with balance, hold on to the back of a chair or countertop.
Walking
Immobility is one of the worst things you can do when you have back pain from degenerative disc disease, which makes walking one of the best exercises for back pain relief. It’s a gentle way to provide some pain relief for a sore, stiff back. Take time each day to take three to five walks. They don’t need to be long walks, just a 10-15 minute walk. If you are concerned about having an unsteady balance, use a walking stick, cane, or trekking pole for support.
Strengthening Your Core
The core of your body includes your abdominal, back, and pelvic muscles and is considered the support system of your spine. To help promote good posture and alleviate pressure on your discs it’s important to have a strong core, especially when you have degenerative disc disease. Core strengthening exercises are some of the best exercises for back pain relief.
You can perform these exercises each day to help strengthen your core.
- Plank Position1
- Lie down on the floor using a mat face down on your stomach.
- Use your forearms to prop yourself up while you align your shoulders directly over your elbows.
- Tighten your abs, lift your hips off the floor and tuck your toes in while you contract your glutes and lift your knees.
- Hold your body in a straight line for 30 seconds or for a long as you are able. If you find it difficult, you can lower your knees to the ground as well.
- Repeat four to five times.
- Bird Dog Pose2
- Start with being on your hands and knees on the floor using a mat. Be sure your knees are aligned under your hips and your wrists with your shoulders.
- Maintain a flat back while contracting your abdominal muscles.
- Reach out one arm straight out in front of you and find your balance.
- After you find your balance, reach out to the leg on the opposite side of your body with your foot held at hip level.
- While keeping your core tightened, hold the position for 15 seconds.
- Release and switch sides, holding for 15 seconds on the opposite side
- Repeat four to five times on each side
- Hip and Glute Bridge Exercise8
- Lie on the floor and on your back using a mat.
- Bend your knees with your feet flat on the floor extending your arms alongside your body
- Slightly lift and curl your tailbone off the floor slowly raising one vertebra at a time.
- Once your weight is on your shoulder blades, stop and hold for 30 seconds or as long as you can
- Slowly lower back down one vertebra at a time.
- Repeat four to five times
More Yoga
The above yoga poses are great for core strengthening, but there are many other yoga exercises that you can do for degenerative disc disease. Yoga poses can greatly improve your flexibility, strength, and relieve tension that results in improving your symptoms.
The downward-facing dog pose stretches your back, thigh, and leg muscles while strengthening your inner core while delaying the decay of your spinal discs.7 Child’s pose will relax and loosen your back muscles and spine.3 To stretch out the back of the legs and lengthen your spine you can do the standing forward bend.11 For some additional stretching both the reclined supine twist6 and reclined pigeon pose4 will provide some pain relief in your lower back. Lastly, a great ending to your yoga exercises is placing your knees to your chest with a slow rock for a natural body weight massage.10
Stationary Biking
Using a stationary bike with a backrest is a great lower body workout and one of the best exercises for back pain caused by degenerative disc disease. The stationary bike can provide a low impact cardio work out with you putting too much stress on your spine.9
Water Aerobics
Light and low-impact water aerobics will help increase your blood flow to your spine while strengthening the muscles that support your spine. Unlike running or regular aerobic exercise with jumping that may cause more pain and harm to your spine, exercising in water eliminates the stress that would normally be absorbed by your joints. Both walking in a pool and water aerobics are some of the best exercises for back pain caused by degenerative disc disease.5
- Altman, T. (n.d.). Is There a “Right Way” To Practice Plank Pose? Retrieved from https://yogainternational.com/article/view/plank-form
- Bird Dog. (2020, April 19). Retrieved from https://yoga15.com/pose/bird-dog/
- Child’s Pose. (2007, August 28). Retrieved from https://www.yogajournal.com/poses/child-s-pose
- Downey, C. (2019, March 29). How to Do Reclining Pigeon Pose. Retrieved from https://www.wikihow.fitness/Do-Reclining-Pigeon-Pose
- Helmer, J. (2018, November 26). Water Aerobics: Low-Impact Pool Workout. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/a-z/water-aerobics
- How to Do Reclined Spinal Twist Pose. (2013, June 12). Retrieved from https://www.doyou.com/how-to-do-reclined-spinal-twist-pose/
- Pizer, A. (2020, March 5). How to Do the Downward Facing Dog Pose. Retrieved from https://www.verywellfit.com/downward-facing-dog-adho-mukha-svanasana-3567072
- Quinn, E. (2019, July 31). The Basic Bridge Exercise for Core Stability. Retrieved from https://www.verywellfit.com/how-to-do-the-bridge-exercise-3120738
- Sellers, J. T. (n.d.). Exercise Bikes for a Low Stress Work Out. Retrieved from https://www.spine-health.com/wellness/exercise/exercise-bikes-a-low-stress-work-out
- Tran, P. (2013, September 17). How to Do Knees-to-Chest Pose in Yoga. Retrieved from https://www.yogaoutlet.com/blogs/guides/how-to-do-knees-to-chest-pose-in-yoga
- Uttanasana: Standing Forward Bend – Yoga. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.gaia.com/article/uttanasana-standing-forward-bend
- Wheeler, T. (2019, December 11). Degenerative Disk Disease: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/back-pain/degenerative-disk-disease-overview#1
