Nov
21
Will an exercise mat reduce back pain while doing crunches?
By
I currently get back pain from doing crunches no matter what surface I do them on, be it hard wood floors, carpet or a bed. Will an exercise mat dramatically reduce back pain?
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4 Comments
November 21st, 2009 at 9:13 pm
absolutly not, an exercise mat is just foam, don’t get tricked. what i do is just set a pillow under your butt to rais your hips. that helped me out alot
November 21st, 2009 at 9:57 pm
use your stomach muscles! Your back should only be hurting if you are using your back muscles, or if you have severe back problems.
November 21st, 2009 at 10:02 pm
yea it will. but it would probably be best to buy a mat and just take pain medication before you start to do crunches
November 21st, 2009 at 10:39 pm
You always want to do an exercise like that on a soft surface, wooden floors are no good. A mat may help, but it really depends on what is causing your pain.
A big source of low-back pain is tight leg muscles, especially the hamstrings. Try streching your hamstrings out, bend down and reach for your toes and do 3 sets holding it for 20-30 seconds each day. After that, do the same stretch except this time bend your knees and touch your toes, if you are doing it right you will feel the stretch in your low back and slightly in the hamstrings.
As a personal trainer and registered nurse who has had many clients with back pain, unless you have an injury, most of the time it is due to tight leg muscles.