would a treadmill help my sore back?

Question

I had an operation for a herniated disc years ago, I know they can recur, would walking help?

Answer 1

It may be helpful to walk, but I wouldn't start in on any type of exercise (in your situation) without some good advice.

Your physician (preferably the surgeon who did the surgery) would be a good resourse to start with. See if he will refer you to an experienced physical therapist, who can help you to determine what type of exercises would be best. The PT can then coach you into a program that suits your needs.

Go to APTA.org, click on "find a PT", and search your home area.

Good luck!

Answer 2

It might help keep you fit, which is good for your back. Less weight means less stress. But you may want to talk to your doctor about physical therapy, which can give you specific exercises to strengthen your back muscles to support your spine. It made a huge difference for me, especially the water therapy which made it easier to do exercises I could not have done without being in the water.

If your back has recently started hurting again they may need to do an MRI to check the status before proceeding with physical therapy. If you get a clean bill of health in addition to the physical therapy you might want to consider Inversion Therapy as well it can really help take some of the pressure off. I love mine. I use it every evening before bed or when I have a lot of pain.

http://www.healthyback.com/store/relaxing/inversiontable.htm

Answer 3

Walking, swimming and abdominal strengthening exercises all help. Remember that muscles work in pairs; most back pain can be dramatically helped by strenthening the abdominal muscles.