Two exercises to help back pain after a car accident

Many Hastings, Michigan, residents have probably been in a car accident at some time in their lives. If you have, this experience may have left you with pain in your neck, shoulder or lower back. The lower back is especially prone to injury from a motor vehicle accident, but physical therapists in your area can help you find ways to recover. Here are two exercises a physical therapist in Hastings can use to help reduce your lower back pain:

1. Pelvic rock

When your lower back has been injured in a car crash, it’s normal to try to decrease your pain by not moving your back. However, this lack of movement can actually cause the back to become stiffer and more painful. To help loosen up the lower back, a physical therapist may have you do an exercise called the pelvic rock. 

To do the pelvic rock, you’ll need to lie down on your back on the floor, and you can use a yoga mat to provide some padding if you need it. You’ll also want to bend both knees so that your feet are flat on the floor; this should produce a natural arch in the lower back. From this starting position, slowly pull your bellybutton in toward the floor and flatten the arch in your back. Then, release the pressure and allow your pelvis to roll forward slightly. Repeat these movements until you’ve rocked forward and back 10 to 15 times. 

2. Bird dog

Part of reducing the pain in your lower back after a car accident is increasing your core strength. Many exercises can help with this, but one of the best examples is an exercise called the bird dog. 

The bird dog exercise starts with you getting on your hands and knees on the floor. You’ll want to make sure that your spine is neutral before you begin. Once you’re in position, slowly raise your right arm until it’s slightly below shoulder height. At the same time, slowly raise your left leg until it’s level or slightly below your hips. Focus on tightening your abs and keeping your back straight during this movement, and hold your arm and leg up and your abs tight for about 10 seconds before returning to the start position. After resting for a few seconds, repeat these steps with the left arm and right leg. Try to repeat the exercise five to 10 times on each side, but make sure you stop if your back starts to hurt. 

Find more helpful therapy methods for back pain after a car accident at Advent Physical Therapy in Hastings, MI

Our team at Advent Physical Therapy’s Hastings clinic has lots of experience helping people recover from car accident injuries. We’ll start off your recovery by having you come in for a free screening, and this will help us learn how your back has been injured and what your level of pain is. Once we’ve gathered this data, we’ll use it to build a personalized therapy plan for you, which may include techniques like: 

• Cupping
• Therapeutic exercises
• Manual therapy
• McKenzie Method^®
• Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM)

Take the next step to start getting our help with your car accident injury. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.