Swimming for Back Pain? Yes!

According to experts, nearly 600 million people suffer from back pain at any given time. Another staggering statistic shows us that eight out of 10 people in the United States experience back problems at least one or more times during their lifetime.

Basically, every one of us will have some form of back pain at one time or another.  That means that many of us, including those of us in Little Rock, may have searched for treatment or relief. Well, the good news is that swimming may help back pain. In this article, we take a look at how that works.

What’s So Great About Swimming?

First, swimming is a no-impact form of exercise. Physical therapists and doctors for generations have recommended swimming after an injury or surgery.

Swimming is also better for your body than a high-impact exercise like running or jumping. Another benefit is that swimming builds muscle, exercises your heart, and burns calories. What’s more, you can swim outside, so you get to enjoy the benefits of nature.

Because of the buoyancy of the water, you aren’t compressing your spine when you swim. So, you can get cardiovascular exercise without increasing your back pain level. It feels good to float on the water without any upward or downward pressure.

The key to helping your back pain is finding the right swimming strokes that work for you. If you don’t know how to swim, it’s a great time to take some lessons.

Lessons help you be a more efficient swimmer while also helping you finetune your strokes, so you have proper form.

What are the Best Strokes for Back Pain

It’s important to talk to your doctor or physical therapist about the best strokes for back pain.

Generally, the safest strokes are the backstroke and freestyle strokes. Both of these can protect your spine while allowing you to get the maximum benefit from the exercise.

You might consider adding a snorkel with the freestyle stroke so you don’t have to lift your head to breathe. This can help reduce back and neck pain.

If you know how to do the sidestroke, this can also be one that doesn’t hurt your back.

The breaststroke and butterfly cause you to arch your back, which can exacerbate lower back pain.

Moderation is Key

Like with most anything in life, you want to practice moderation. For example, you don’t want to swim for an hour if that makes your back hurt.

Exercise is good, but it’s not good to do it for so long that it hurts you. Avoid overuse injuries by slowly building up your stamina.

Each person has their own fitness level and their own level of pain, so this is a personal choice.

Consider starting with 20-30 minutes three times a week. If that’s too much, just try 10 minutes of exercise.

The key is to make sure you’re not sore the next day. Swim to your abilities and conditioning level.

Final Thoughts on Swimming for Back Pain

Swimming is a great exercise for people of all ages, but that doesn’t mean it’s for you. Please contact your doctor to discuss this before beginning.

Swimming does decrease any load on your back because of the buoyancy of the water, so you aren’t likely to feel the pain you would from working out on dry land.

Your exercise program should be tailored to you. Try it and see how it goes, depending on your specific back condition.

Here’s to a great exercise regimen of swimming!

Note: This is not medical advice. Please consult with your doctor before beginning any exercise regimen.