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Bosu Exercises for Lower Back Injury

You may be experiencing pain in your lower back. You may have had a strain, an injury, illness, even simple stress. You may have seen a doctor who diagnosed your problem. If you are fortunate, your back problem will respond to exercise, which can help your back return to normal functioning. BOSU exercises may help.

  1. Pain and Injury

    • Your back is a complex structure of spine, cartilage, nerves, muscles and other tissue, but it is the lower back, or lumbar region, particularly its musculature, that supports the weight of your whole upper back and body. Consequently, it is where back pain is most frequently felt and is prone to injury.

    Why Exercise?

    • One of the most effective ways to recover from lower back pain and/or injury is to strengthen your back and abdominal muscles. Gentle exercises that keep muscles moving and stretching help speed recovery. Any mild discomfort felt when beginning these exercises should disappear as your muscles strengthen. But if your pain is severe and lasts more than 15 minutes during exercise, stop the exercise and contact your doctor.

    BOSU Exercises

    • BOSU exercises are designed to help you position your spine and muscles properly. They use alignment skills, and feature integrated movement. They emphasize what the program calls "neutral spinal posture in the lumbar region." BOSU exercises are designed to establish, build up and help maintain neutral spinal posture, as this helps strengthen your back and prevent re-injury.

      Programs include: BOSU Integrated Balance Training; BOSU Pro Fitness; BOSU Sport Training and BOSU Balance Trainer Complete Workout System. A key part of the BOSU program is the supervised use of a BOSU ball.

    BOSU Ball

    • Several types of exercise balls are used with lower-back injuries. Exercise balls, also called medicine balls, are heavy, made of thick rubber or leather, and filled with sand. They are used for power development. There are also stability balls, or Swiss balls. These are rubber or vinyl, inflatable balls of various sizes, used for a variety of exercises.

      BOSU balls are a version of a Swiss or stability ball that has been cut in half. A firm platform is then added. One fitness term for this, before it was known as a BOSU ball, was "wobble board." BOSU balls help with strength, stability and balance.

    Using a Bosu Ball?

    • BOSU balls are used with standard push-ups and lower-back strengthening exercises.

      In one exercise, the "Superman Lower Back Exercise," you lie prone and balanced on the flat side of the BOSU ball. Extend your arms in front of you, parallel, with your palms facing each other. Extend your legs behind you. Then lift your head and your right arm and, at the same time, lift your left leg. Return to position. Then lift your head, your left arm and your right leg. Repeat, alternating right and left lifts for eight to 16 repetitions.

      It is important, particularly at first, to do BOSU ball exercises with a BOSU trainer, a physical therapist or a spotter.

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