5 Best Exercise Equipments for Back Pain at the Gym

With degenerative disc disease, your choice of physical exercises drastically decreases since you don’t want to deal with exercises that put extra pressure on your spine. [1]

But there are some exercise equipments that offer calorie-burning workouts to help you lose weight without injuring your back.

Using these can help you improve your practice and workout routines without contributing to added stress and strain that could result in the need for professional treatment.

Back Pain Exercise Equipments List

• Elliptical Trainer
• Recumbent Exercise Bike
• Step Machine
• Treadmill
• Kettlebell
• Rowing Machine

Better consult with your doctor/ physician/ surgeon before opting for any equipment. You should be careful not to aggravate your lower back, but the more activity you can do without hurting it, the better.

1. Elliptical Trainer

Often called a cross-trainer, an elliptical trainer simulates a variety of aerobic exercises, including walking, running, stair-stepping, or cross-country skiing. The pedals of an elliptical machine are suspended above the ground, and the machine is moved forward and back, or up and down, on a track. [2]

Due to the fact that the user’s foot never hits the ground on an elliptical trainer, the jarring impact of walking or running on a hard surface is minimized, which is beneficial for people suffering from back pain.

However, elliptical trainers allow you to do an effective cardiovascular workout with minimized stress on the spine (safe for sciatic nerves).

2. Recumbent Exercise Bike

With recumbent exercise bikes, you can rest your whole back on their reclining seats, which provide support from your tailbone to your shoulders.

With aerobic exercise and proper posture, you can strengthen the muscles in your core to keep your spinal structures healthy.

Recumbent bikes put less pressure on the lumbar spine! When you sit on the seat, your weight is spread out over a larger area, resulting in less impact.

A recumbent bike is unlikely to aggravate back problems if it is used properly.

3. Step Machine

Step machines are similar to elliptical trainers in that you do not have to remove your feet from the platforms, making them a good choice for people with back pain.

Foot platforms are also found on step machines, but they move up and down instead of gliding back and forth.
As an alternative to walking upstairs, a step machine provides a similar workout without the jolt.

Research shows that this machine can relieve lower back pain by activating the glutes and taking pressure off the lower back. [3]

Make sure that you keep your hands away from the side rails of step machines. Otherwise, you will become rigid, which defeats the purpose of the machine, which is to relieve back pain.

In addition to helping with back pain, a stepper may be able to help with most other types. Take advantage of the chance to test out a stepper at a sports outlet to determine if it is comfortable for you.

4. Treadmill

Using a treadmill is an excellent way to maintain or improve aerobic fitness without fighting inclement weather. However, if you walk on an incline treadmill, you may experience unusual back strain.

Benefits include:

• Strengthening the muscles that support the spine.
• Improving your bone health.
• Losing excess weight that can cause back injury.
• Releasing hormones that relieve pain.

Walking on an Incline

Overground or on a treadmill, walking up an incline increases the risk of sore or tired lower backs. Walking up steep hills puts a lot of strain on the quadriceps, the muscles of the front of the legs. For your center of mass to remain over your base of support, you must lean forward.

Uphill Muscle

The abdominal and hamstring muscles are much less active, which tilt the pelvis forward and flatten out the lumbar arch, resulting in little resistance for the quadriceps and back muscles. Over time, the muscles become more stressed.

Discs are pinched by this curvature, which causes pain. Uphill walking can cause back pain and soreness since the forces involved are greater the steeper the grade.

An Aligned Spine

The spine aligns into an “S” shape with a curve in the lower lumbar region and another in the upper back. The discs between the vertebrae evenly distribute the weight of the upper body when they are aligned.

If this natural curve is altered, the discs are unevenly compressed. If you walk up a grade, you may emphasize the angle of your lower back, which can cause excessive or prolonged asymmetrical compression of the discs, which can cause injury or pain.

Easing the Pain

By reducing the incline or standing upright with the handrails while walking, you may find relief from back soreness when walking on a treadmill. If these two measures do not relieve your discomfort, you may need to walk on level ground again.

5. Kettlebell

The kettlebell is one of the most popular back pain exercise equipments. Once you are able to start thinking about more dynamic movements and movements against resistance, use the kettlebell.

Learn how to stabilize your lower back, move from a position of strength, and control your movement before attempting this.

You should be able to control your movement while stabilizing your lower back (build momentum afterward).

Kettlebell training isn’t for everyone, but it can be a great way to realize that your lower back is solid and that it’s becoming a more vital part of your body rather than a weakness.

6. Rowing Machine

Rowing machines are among the back pain exercise equipments that can help prevent lower back pain and injuries.

When you row on a rowing machine, you raise your heart rate and increase your oxygen intake, resulting in an effective cardio workout.

By adjusting the resistance on most rowers, you can quickly improve your target heart rate, and you can also reduce the resistance to return to your resting heart rate.

Rowing machines are excellent for upper-body workouts. The rhomboids and trapezii in the shoulders, as well as the lats in the lower back, can be exercised with a rower.

Regular rowing machine workouts will increase your endurance and energy. Rowing is a cardiovascular exercise that works all of your major muscles, making it an excellent workout machine.

Other Tips to Prevent Lower Back Pain

• Whenever possible, stay away from activities that require bending over and stooping.
• Standing up and leaning slightly backward while coughing or sneezing will increase your spine’s curve.
• You should turn your knees while you sleep on your side. If necessary, put a pillow under your knees while sleeping on your side.
• Avoid sleeping on your stomach.
• Aligning and supporting your back and thighs with an ergonomic chair.
• You can add additional support to your back by placing a small rolled-up towel there.
• At least for part of the day, use a stand-up desk.
• Don’t bend at your lower back. A completely flexed (forward-bent) back may be prone to ligament and disc injuries.
• Twist your lower back instead of pivoting your feet and hips.
• Straighten your spine while holding the object near your chest.

FAQs

Conclusion

Millions of Americans experience chronic back pain. You should find the best exercise equipment for back pain treatment if the goal is to rock on a workout routine. In case, if treadmills are not your best pick, trying an elliptical, an exercise bike, or a stepper instead won’t go wrong.