How to Exercise the Back After a Spinal Cord Injury

Do not overexercise, as this can cause even more damage to your healing spine.

After a spinal cord injury it is very important to be aware of potential problems that you may encounter when you start exercising again. Rebuilding the muscles in your back will improve your spinal health, but you must be careful not to aggravate or exacerbate your condition by moving too fast, lifting too much or straining your injured spine in any way. In this article, we will discuss how to exercise the back after a spinal cord injury.

Things You'll Need

• Trained assistant
• Soft mat

Instructions

1. Lie flat on your back with your neck, shoulders, pelvis and legs relaxed and in alignment.

2. 

   Raise and bend both knees toward your chest with your assistant's help. This movement should be slow and steady. If you experience any pain or discomfort do not push the limbs beyond that point.

3. Hold the legs in the bent position for a count of ten. Count evenly and abbreviate the interval if you begin to feel pain or discomfort.

4. Return your legs to a flat position. This motion should also be smooth and controlled.

5. Repeat this exercise 10 times. As your strength and range of motion increases you will be able to increase the number of times you can do the exercise in a session.

Tips & Warnings

• Spinal cord injuries are very serious and remain a liability long after the original injury has healed. Consult your doctor before starting any exercise program.