Exercise bikes for a low stress work out

An exercise bike is gentle on the low back
Many people with low back pain have trouble finding the right form of exercise that provides a good aerobic workout and is still gentle enough for their back. Aerobic exercise helps to condition and strengthen the muscles and keep the spinal structures healthy, which in turn helps to reduce back pain. In addition, there is research indicating that doing exercise on stationary bikes may actually reduce some patients’ perception of chronic low back pain (1).

Often, after trying an overly-intensive or high-impact exercise program, it is natural for patients to become discouraged and hesitant to seek out other forms of aerobic exercise. Other patients may avoid exercise entirely for fear that it will aggravate their low back pain. The key is to find a mode of exercise that is comfortable and helps to heal a sore back. For many patients, using an exercise bike is an excellent option for a low stress work out.

Health benefits of riding stationary exercise bikes
Riding on a stationary exercise bike provides a variety of health benefits, and tends to be particularly suitable for people with certain types of back conditions.

• Exercise biking provides a gentle, low-impact workout without putting too much stress on the spine. Although some forms of exercise may be too rough for patients experiencing low back pain (such as running or even biking on the road), riding a stationary exercise bike allows patients to engage in exercise without jarring the spine.

• The exercise bike is often more comfortable for certain back conditions. While it is not universally true, some patients with the following conditions tend to find that an exercise bike provides a tolerable form of aerobic exercise:

• Spinal stenosis: For patients with spinal stenosis, leaning forward on an upright exercise bike (rather than a recumbent bike) is an ideal form of aerobic exercise, as they tend to feel more comfortable flexed forward rather than sitting or standing up straight.
  
  
• Osteoarthritis: Patients who have osteoarthritis may find that stationary biking keeps their joints flexible, reduces stiffness and strengthens the muscles that support the joints, while still being comfortable and low impact.
  
  
• Riding an exercise bike strengthens major muscle groups to improve back support. Riding an exercise bicycle strengthens the leg and thigh muscles, including the hamstrings in the back of the thigh. While riding the bike, there are two components to the stroke: the push and the pull. Both strokes are important, as pushing down on the pedals requires the use of the quadriceps, while the pull motion works the hamstrings. It is often helpful to picture the foot going in a circle, pushing on the down-stroke and pulling on the up-stroke.

While riding exercise bikes doesn’t specifically target the abs and back muscles, these muscle groups help keep the body in the proper position by aligning the pelvis and preventing hyperextension of the back. Maintaining good control of the abdominal and back muscles is especially important when using an upright exercise bike (as opposed to a recumbent model). To work the abdominal muscles even more, patients can focus on tightening them as they ride.

• Using exercise bikes improves muscular flexibility and range of motion.Muscles and ligaments that aren't conditioned through regular exercise can contract and spasm, increasing stiffness and discomfort. Riding an exercise bike improves the flexibility of leg muscles (especially the hamstrings), which further reduces low back pain from muscle strain. Importantly, patients should also stretch their hamstrings twice each day on a regular basis to help reduce stress on the low back. Regular exercise, such as stationary biking, also helps maintain the range of motion and flexibility of the many joints in the spine, which can become stiff and painful with disuse.

• Aerobic exercise on stationary bikes improves cardiovascular health and circulation. An exercise bike provides a gentle form of cardiovascular activity. Aerobic exercise stimulates the capillaries in the muscles, which helps oxygen and nutrients to be more easily delivered to the muscles. With better circulation, strained muscles and other soft tissue problems in the low back are able to heal more quickly.

In general, aerobic exercise is an excellent pain fighter. Any form of aerobic exercise increases the body’s release of endorphins, a natural pain blocker. Endorphins also serve to help reduce anxiety, stress and depression, all of which are common for people suffering from ongoing back pain.

In fact, one study shows that stationary exercise biking may alter pain perception. Although more research is needed on the topic of pain perception and aerobic exercise, a study presented to the American College of Sports Medicine in 2000 by Martin Hoffman, M.D. showed that riding an exercise bike helped reduce the discomfort of patients suffering from chronic low back pain. The study found that after riding an exercise bike at a moderate intensity for up to thirty minutes, patients reported feeling less pain after riding than they did before riding (1). Based on the preliminary results of this small study, exercise biking and other gentle forms of exercise may be helpful in reducing patients’ perception and feelings of pain.

In addition to exercise bikes, there are many other forms of exercise that usually do not place too much stress on the spine. Examples of low impact, low stress forms of aerobic exercise include exercise walking, yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, aquatic therapy or swimming.

As with any exercise program, consult a physician before beginning to make sure that the program is appropriate, safe and effective.

Reference:

1. Medical College of Wisconsin. “Exercise: a Natural Reliever for Chronic Low Back Pain.” Healthlink. 2000. http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/960403875.html.