Back Pain

Please remember the advice we give is general and not meant to be used as a substitute for professional medical or health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you want specific advice then please seek help from your doctor or local physio.

This guide is to help you overcome any problems regarding back pain, or any other concerns about your back while exercising in the Be Mobile Online Program's.

Causes of back pain

The vast majority of cases of back pain are what are termed 'non-specific'. This classification reflects the current literature showing that there is rarely one definitive cause of back pain. It probably originates from muscles, joints and ligaments, but psycho-social factors such as low mood or poor sleep can also play a large role in back pain. Whilst imaging is not recommended in most cases of back pain, you may have had an X-ray or an MRI showing scary sounding terms such as:

• Disc bulge / protrusion
• Disc degeneration
• Annular fissure
• Facet joint degeneration
• Disc space narrowing
• Spondylolisthesis

These findings don't tell us much because they are common across the lifespan in people with and WITHOUT symptoms! So, even if you have scans showing these findings, you are still safe to exercise, and will benefit from exercise.

What to do about back pain

The good news is that most cases of back pain will resolve on their own within days to weeks. The important thing is to find a way to keep physically active during this time. This can help with reducing the risk of long term pain, but it is also vital for maintaining good health. We highly encourage you to keep going with the Be Mobile Online Program as best you can. But really, any form of exercise is helpful.

There are plenty of exercises in the program that work on strengthening your back and abdominal muscles, meaning you don't need to add in any extra "back exercises" or "core exercises" in order to overcome this back pain. Just keep going with the program as best you can. In fact, research shows that supposed "core" exercise aren't better for back pain than any other form of exercise. Click here if you want to read our article about 'the core', which goes into this topic in more detail. 

When you have back pain, you may find that some forms of exercise might worsen your symptoms. In this situation, it's important to remember that whilst your back may be sensitive, it doesn't mean you are injured. Hurt doesn't always equal harm!

If you would like to learn a bit more about pain, click here to see our 4-part pain video series.

How to make the program exercises tolerable

The goal is to modify the exercises in order to make the tolerable, so that you can continue. The use of the word tolerable here is intentional. This doesn't mean the exercises have to be completely pain-free. Some pain with exercise is ok. It just has to be tolerable for you. 

There are 3 general rules to follow when modifying exercises:

1. Reduce the weight that you are using
2. Reduce the range of movement
3. Vary the movement or find a similar alternative 

Often, the deadlift type exercises are the most problematic when it comes to back pain. So check out this article to to learn how to modify deadlift movements: How to modify deadlift movements

If none of these modifications are working for you, and you find certain exercises are just too painful, then it’s okay to just skip those exercises for a while. Keep going with all the other exercises in the workouts as best you can. Then try to gradually reintroduce the exercise that was previously too painful, starting with the easiest possible version and slowly progressing. 

Things to look out for...

There are some signs & symptoms to look out for that suggest further medical investigation is warranted. So if you have back pain and any of the following, it's a good idea to speak to your doctor before continuing with exercise:

• Constant/severe pain
• Pain that is progressively getting worse 
• Pain radiating into your leg
• Pain during the night, especially if it wakes you up
• Trauma (eg. a fall or injury to the back)
• Pins & needles or numbness
• Any change in your bowel or bladder function

Summary

We hope you have found this guide helpful for overcoming your back issues and giving you the confidence and know-how to continue with exercise.

If you want to learn a bit more, or are still unsure about back pain, we strongly encourage you to watch the video below, in which Jack, Ollie and Brodie talk through 10 important facts about back pain.