If you have serious lower back pain now, or if you’ve had serious back pain recently, be sure to talk to your doctor before starting a new program of exercise.

• Only your doctor can determine if lower back exercise is right for you.

If you are recovering from lower back pain and your physician has given you the go-ahead to exercise, it may help to start with a program that you can perform comfortably. The easiest and safest way to return to exercise is to choose a low impact activity like walking, biking (real or stationary), or swimming and ease into a regular routine over a period of a few weeks. A sample program is outlined below:

• Warm-up (5 minutes): A good warm-up will gradually increase blood flow to the heart and muscles. If you’ve chosen to walk or bike, for example, warm up at a slow pace for about 5 minutes.
• Aerobic activity (5-10 minutes/day at first, gradually working up to 30-45 minutes/day): A good test for aerobic activity is that you are slightly out of breath but still able to carry on a conversation.
• Cool down (5 minutes): Decrease activity to a slower pace for about 5 minutes. This allows your heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure to return to normal; prevents blood from pooling in the working muscles; and prepares the body for stretching.
• Stretch (5-10 minutes): After exercising, stretch the major muscle groups, and hold the stretched position for 20-30 seconds.
• Other exercises : Good back health is sometimes not just about back muscles. Your physician or orthopedist may be able to recommend a list of age-appropriate, low-impact exercises to strengthen your abdominal muscles and other muscles in your upper body that may help stabilize and reduce strain on your back.

For more information about exercises for lower back pain, see Web Resources.

In addition to learning more about exercise, it may help to review how different pain medications contribute to the management of lower back pain.