It’s a stretch that most people who suffer back pain will know well: bending your shoulders back, pushing your hips forward.
Or, perhaps you do a few twists to ease the twinges.
According to a top spine health expert, these bending and twisting exercises will in fact make your pain worse.
Dr Arthur Jenkins, a spine surgeon for the New York Jets, warned that for many of the 30million Americans who suffer chronic back pain, these movements could tigger an agonizing rupture.
A spine surgeon in New York has warned against bending the back to alleviate pain, as shown above, saying this risks herniating a disc – or causing the soft cushioning between vertebrae to rupture
He says this is because many people already have significant damage to their spinal discs – the spongy cushions that separate the bones of the spine, or vertebrae.
And contorting the body into certain positions to ‘relieve’ discomfort could cause a disc herniation, or slipped disc – when the discs tear, rupture or become dislodged, resulting in extreme pain and numbness.
Dr Arthur Jenkins, a spine surgeon, warned against exercises bending the spine to relieve back pain
The top doctor, who is part of the NFL retired players program, said: ‘Many patients walking around with back pain likely already have damage to the discs in their back.
‘They may not have as much, but they are certainly at risk of developing [disc herniation].
He told HuffPost: ‘Each type of movement increases the pressure in the disk space and can lead to a disk herniation.
‘But [bending, lifting and twisting] at once is the worst.’
Lifting heaving items, he says, adds weight to the spine which increases pressure on the damaged discs, increasing the risk they will move or break.
He advises individuals with back pain to only lift items while keeping their back straight and with both feet planted firmly on the ground.
Instead of twisting and bending, sufferers should do movements that stretch the spine while keeping it straight.
This can include planks, including variations such as a side plank where the body is tipped to one side.
Bridges, where the feet and shoulders are flat on the floor while lifting the body at the hips, are another safer option – as are dead bugs, where you lie on the back and raise and lower opposite arms and legs.
These poses can relieve back pain by engaging core muscles, taking strain off those on the back.
His words contradict the advice of several wellness gurus online, who urge people to bend their backs in order to relieve painful symptoms.
Herniated disks can take several weeks to months to recover from and often leave sufferers in disabling pain.
They may be treated using hot and cold compresses and physical therapy, but in more serious cases sufferers may be offered surgery, where the damaged part of the disc is removed.
Dr Jenkins says some forbidden movements include reaching to lift a child’s car seat out of a vehicle, lifting luggage in an awkward position and shoveling snow.
Back pain can have many causes, including injuries to ligaments or muscles as well as structural problems like arthritis or bone problems.
Doctors say signs of the pain being linked to disks include increased back pain when doing repetitive movements or sitting for prolonged periods.