Back pain is an extremely common issue among adults that can impact your comfort, mood, and livelihood. Improve your spinal strength and flexibility while reducing back pain with these apps focused on helping you maintain a healthy back. With just a few minutes of exercise each day, you can work toward a more limber lumbar region.
Understanding Back Pain
Back pain is often caused by muscle strain or problems with disks in the spine, according to the Mayo Clinic. Getting regular exercise, maintaining proper posture, and strengthening the muscles in the spine and abdominal area can help you keep back pain at bay.
With that in mind, consider using cardio workout apps to make exercise part of your regular routine. You may also want to invest in a standing desk to avoid underusing your back muscles and promote better posture. Lastly, the apps listed here can help strengthen your back muscles.
However, please follow the apps with caution if you are currently experiencing back pain. Consider reaching out to your doctor if the pain is particularly severe or recurring.
1. Back Pain Exercises at Home
Focus on workouts for the lower back, spine, and neck with over 100 exercises in this simple app. Video instructions and detailed writeups make sure you know exactly how to perform each routine.
Under the Workouts tab, you can find collections of exercises based on a general theme. For instance, focus on exercises designed to help with persistent pain, strengthen the low back, or simply promote a healthy spine. There's also a selection of workouts specifically for postoperative recovery.
In addition, you can add exercises to the My Workouts tab to create your own routine. Lastly, the Statistics screen keeps track of your completed exercises, as well as the total time you've spent on them. The app is free to use, and you can pay a one-time fee to remove advertisements. Whether you're looking to strengthen, stretch, or reduce pain in the spine, the Back Pain Exercises at Home app can guide you.
Download: Back Pain Exercises at Home for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)
2. Back Pain Relief: Exercises
Follow along with 10–20 minute stretches designed to help relax tension, strengthen muscles, and improve spinal alignment. With almost two hours of content and over 50 poses, it's a lot of information in one app.
In the Classes tab, you'll find courses based on themes such as gentle backbends, forward bends, and twists. Each class includes a series of yoga poses to address these specific concerns.
Presented with clear and gentle verbal instructions, classes also include helpful video demonstrations. You'll get cues for each movement, as well as reminders to breathe and relax throughout the process. Before starting a class, you can also check out its experience level (whether beginner or intermediate) and duration.
Under the Poses tab, find detailed explanations for each pose, from the ankle stretch to the wild thing. Whether you're a newcomer to the practice or a longtime yogi, it's helpful to learn the modifications for each pose and its potential benefits.
This app is a great choice for anyone experiencing mild or recurring back pain. There's also a great selection of apps to help manage chronic pain if that's relevant to your experience.
Download: Back Pain Relief: Exercises for iOS (Subscription required, free trial available)
3. AudioFysio Lower Back Pain App
Improve mobility and muscle stability with this app created by a physiotherapist. Detailed exercise videos demonstrate how to perform each workout.
To start, download audio instructions from the Program tab. Your instructor, Bella, explains how to perform each exercise. In addition to the verbal instructions, videos demonstrate each series of motions. As the Help section of the app explains, relying on the audio guidance alone can help you focus more on your movements and tune in to your body.
In addition to the movements themselves, Bella also explains the rationale behind each exercise. For instance, the opening exercise, a gentle forward fold, helps relax your back and reduce pressure on the spine. The following move, in which you lie down and slowly move your knees from side to side, helps improve joint mobility.
You can access the Day 1 session, which contains eight exercises, as many times as you like. A subscription lets you use all the practice sessions, which include seven weeks of exercises.
Download: AudioFysio Lower Back Pain App for iOS | Android (Subscription required, free trial available)
4. Back and Shoulder Workout
Follow this 30-day program for dedicated back and shoulder exercises. Note that this app focuses more on strength training instead of pain relief or injury rehabilitation. After answering several questions about your general workout goals, the app generates a personal plan for your routine.
Under the Workouts tab, you can review the beginner program, which walks you through 30 days' worth of exercises to help strengthen your back. A (somewhat uncanny) animated body demonstrates each exercise while a voice counts down every round.
You can pause or skip exercises. Listen to the app's music, or play your own while following along with the routine. After completing the beginner program, you can tackle more intense workouts with the advanced Ironman regimes.
Meanwhile, the Workout Generator option lets you select the total duration, as well as the length of time you perform each exercise. The app then creates a random series of exercises for you to perform. It's a great option whenever you're getting in a workout under a time crunch or any time you want to shake up your routine.
Review the moves under the All Exercises tab, which explains everything from the inchworm crawl to one-armed push-ups. With plenty of different exercises, workout calendars, and a straightforward approach to fitness, the Back and Shoulder Workout app is a fine choice for anyone looking to strengthen their spine.
Download: Back and Shoulder Workout for iOS | Android (Free, subscription available)
Get a Stronger, More Flexible Back by Practicing With Apps
Whether you've experienced back pain in the past or want to prevent it from occurring in the future, these apps to strengthen your spine can help with that cause. By following along with the exercises and making back exercises a part of your wellness routine, you may be able to enjoy more flexibility with less back pain.