WIR IM SPORT 06.2023
Magazine of the Landessportbund NRW
PDF-Download
The positive effects of physical activity on health are undisputed. Numerous studies show that exercise and sport play an important role not only in the prevention but also in the treatment of chronic diseases. According to recent studies, even a smaller amount of exercise per week than expected is enough to benefit from the positive effects.
The intention here should not be to improve movement, but to train strength in order to build up the core muscles. Gentle sports such as cycling and rowing are recommended.
Rowing primarily involves back and forth movements that provide all-round training without causing stressful rotation and lever forces on the intervertebral discs. Exercising twice a week at
is enough to avoid putting too much strain on your back. Good, well-trained back muscles do not protect against wear and tear and therefore do not directly prevent a
slipped disc, but they can compensate for the symptoms.
The bottom line: significantly less back pain, as most complaints are due to instability problems. The back muscles compensate for instability by providing support. If the muscles try in vain to hold the intervertebral discs, but are too weak, they are overstrained and cramp painfully. Heat and massages are good for the moment to loosen up the muscles, but do not eliminate the cause. This can only be remedied by building up the core muscles.
Positive influence
And this also applies if there is already a slipped disc. Once the contact with the nerve has healed, it is crucial to give the back support again in order to stop the instability from progressing. This is why trunk muscle training should be started after the acute phase. However, if the spine is already somewhat unstable, intensive stop-to-go sports such as squash or tennis should be avoided. These sports put a lot of stress on the spinal segments and repeatedly cause micro-injuries. These movements are less noticeable if the back is in good basic condition, but this is different in old age and with previous strain. A first warning sign can be a certain stiffness in the back. Then it's time to act and train your back!
