Most of us have had freak injuries that come out of nowhere, and one of the most common and pervasive injuries is throwing your back out. Shoveling snow, picking up a laundry basket, or just moving the wrong way. I’m not going to lecture you about how strength training and mobility work can help prevent these types of injuries, but I will help you think about how to recover and move forward because you’re injured now.
What people usually do wrong when they suffer a minor back injury is they baby it. They lie on the couch, lift everything stiff, wear a back brace, and avoid movement. This backfires on them because backs are built to twist, bend and carry things. The spine is a stack of strong bones wrapped in thick muscle. Most garden-variety back pain resolves itself in a few weeks, but lying around and waiting is the worst way to get to a resolution.
Move 1: Walk! The research is clear that walking is one of the best things you can do for a sore back. A 2024 study, the WalkBack trial, showed that walking roughly doubled the time that people stayed pain-free after a back pain episode. A 2025 study from Norway followed more than 11,000 people with an average age of 55 over four years and found that those who walked more had a 23 percent lower chance of developing chronic lower back pain. So get up off the couch and walk the pain away.
Move 2: Glute bridge. Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat. Lift your hips by pushing through your heels, squeeze at the top, and lower back down. Ten reps. Your glutes are your back’s best friend, so have them help support your back in its time of need.
Move 3: Bird dog. If you want to get nerdy, check out Dr. Stuart McGill, the back pain guru. He recommends the bird dog exercise, where you get on your hands and knees, reach one arm forward and the opposite leg back, hold for a second, then repeat with the other arm and leg. Five slow reps per side. This teaches the core to hold steady while the limbs move in space, which mimics real life.
As you start to feel better, don’t be afraid to return to lifting real things: groceries, grandkids, beach chairs. You know the saying, if you don’t use it, you lose it. So use movement to help keep your back healthy.
If you have serious symptoms, like numbness down a leg, weakness in a foot, fever, trouble controlling your bladder, pain from an accident, or pain that keeps waking you at night, see a doctor.
If your back simply aches and you’ve treated it like glass for years, this is your permission to stop. Take your daily walk, do these exercises, and know that your body was made to move.
Jamal Khan, MPA, CSCS, is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and a doctoral student in public health at Johns Hopkins University. He trains clients in their homes across the Rockaway peninsula.
