Lower Back-Friendly Leg Workout

I remember when I was diagnosed with a herniated disc and piriformis syndrome, I felt like my gym days were over. I was in constant pain and couldn’t even go for a walk without pausing every 5 minutes to stretch.


Things got worse after my ankylosing spondylitis diagnosis. I was asked to never squat or lift weights again if I wanted to avoid arthritis pain. I love to exercise so that was out of the question. Thankfully, my education in corrective exercise and strength training helped me in slowly introducing weights without triggering symptoms.

For the past few years, I’ve bee able to squat, lunge and deadlift with weights pain-free and I always get asked how I structure my workouts without causing a flare-up. So today I’m gonna share with you one of my low-impact, back-friendly leg workouts! (Youtube video below!)

You’ll be able to see how I slowly go through my workout and a few key tips to keep in mind if you’re thinking about starting an exercise program. You’ll notice that I don’t engage in high-intensity exercises or any sort of jumping activity. I used to go really crazy on HIIT and plyos, but I think I enjoy and appreciate staying pain-free way more.

I definitely miss it, but I think my workouts now are much more intense and my body is responding much better to them. So I do what my body asks me to do.


Can I go to the gym with a herniated disc?

Before I share my workout, I just want to address this first. Yes, you can certainly exercise with a herniated disc but you want to consult with your physician first. Make sure the herniation is not very advanced and that it’s okay to engage in low impact exercises. Once you get your doctor’s opinion that it’s safe to proceed, I would recommend you follow these key points:

  • Activate and strengthen your intrinsic core muscles responsible for supporting your spine. If you’re going to be loading your body with weights, you have to make sure you’re not putting unnecessary pressure on your lumbar spine. You want your muscles to do the work.

  • I suggest you avoid exercises like the barbell back squats. Yes, you can squat, but placing the load on your spine will increase disc compression and can trigger nerve pain. I love doing sumo or goblet squats instead.

  • Activate your glutes along with your core with isolation exercises.

  • Avoid bending your back at the spine. Practice the hip hinge and initiate the movement from your hips.

  • Avoid overextension. If the disc herniation is facing forward, overextending can push the disc material further out. The same goes for side and forward bending.

Can I exercise with hip and piriformis pain?

I’d say the same bullets above apply if you have piriformis syndrome or chronic hip pain. Of course, you want to find out whether it’s piriformis syndrome or sciatica.

If you have piriformis syndrome, you probably notice that it’s so easy to irritate this muscle doing hip exercises. The piriformis is a deep gluteal muscle. It’s a hip external rotator and responsible for stabilizing and supporting the pelvis.


As a result, this muscle tends to compensate a lot for glute weakness. The exercises I include in the workout video below will show you how to activate your glutes without getting the piriformis involved.

I also highly recommend you get my program Piriformis Control to figure out what’s triggering the piriformis muscle so you can safely proceed with the appropriate rehab plan before attempting to add weights.

I’m going to jump into the low impact leg workout video, but make sure to scroll below the video, I’ve included some additional tips about which exercises to avoid to stay injury-free.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

7 Best Transverse Abdominis Activation Exercises

Image
In just a few moments, I’m going to share with you 7 powerful deep core exercises that’ll target the transverse abdominis (TVA) – one of your deepest abdominal muscles. I’ll also explain a bit how to properly engage this muscle and signs and symptoms of a weak deep core and inactive transverse abdominis. If you experience lower back pain, there is a good chance this muscle is weak or is failing to engage on time… So make sure you practice daily. The more you do the exercises mindfully, the better your mind-muscle connection will get. So don’t quit after just a day or two. Keep practicing. Activating and strengthening these deep core muscles (and the transverse abdominis in particular) will help you get immediate relief from lower back pain, as well as support and protect your spine from flare-ups. Make sure you perform these exercises on a weekly basis. Before I demonstrate how to do these exercises, I want to take a minute to briefly explain the i nner and outer core units , their fun
Read more

Low Back Pain Fact Sheet

Image
If you have had lower back pain, you are not alone. Back pain is one of most common reasons people see a doctor or miss days at work. Even school-age children can have back pain. Back pain can range in intensity from a dull, constant ache to a sudden, sharp or shooting pain. It can begin suddenly as a result of an accident or by lifting something heavy, or it can develop over time as we age. Getting too little exercise followed by a strenuous workout also can cause back pain.   There are two types of back pain: Acute , or short-term back pain lasts a few days to a few weeks. Most low back pain is acute. It tends to resolve on its own within a few days with self-care and there is no residual loss of function. In some cases a few months are required for the symptoms to disappear. Chronic back pain  is defined as pain that continues for 12 weeks or longer, even after an initial injury or underlying cause of acute low back pain has been treated. About 20 percent of people affected by acute
Read more

8 Foot Exercises That Can Cure Back Pain in minutes

Image
A lot among us suffer from back pain. Causes of back pain might range from inappropriate sitting or standing postures to injuries or any other disease. It can be mild or severe and it’s a general tendency to rely on painkillers when our backaches. While painkillers can give temporary relief, they are not permanent solutions and often come with side effects. Our feet play a significant role in maintaining our balance and they help in movement. Taking care of our feet with regular exercises not only helps us in maintaining our ability to is also effective in curing back pain. These  8 exercises are the ones everyone should do to get best results: (1)   Toe pressing: Stand up, bend your knees, grip the floor with the help of your toes for 3 seconds and then release it. Do this ten times at a stretch and thrice a day. This helps in blood circulation and also gives relief from back pain.   (2)   Toe stretching: Sit down, put your right leg on your left thigh, grab your right toe and shake i
Read more