Kettlebells for back pain

A therapy that the Russians have used for training athletes and soldiers could potentially be used to treat neck and back pain. The training devices are known as kettlebells and they are weights made out of cast-iron.

Most people who have any back pain will not do a lot of weightlifting as they worry they will hurt themselves, but researchers showed that weight training can be useful for preventing future injury and reducing the amount of pain a patient is suffering. Researchers based in Denmark have recently conducted a study which is looking at whether this Russian training method is more effective than traditional weightlifting.

The weights are named kettlebells because they resemble a kettle that has a handle with a loop in it. They started to become popular in the United States around 15 years ago as people realised they were a good way to get an upper body workout in a quick amount of time. The weights differ as you are supposed to swing them as you exercise which is a more effective and efficient method of exercising than traditional lifting.

The study was published last year and involved 40 people who were suffering from back, neck, and shoulder pain. There were two groups established, one using kettlebells and the other doing traditional exercises. The study showed that those who completed the kettlebell workout were suffering from less pain.

Of the patients suffering from back pain, nearly 60 percent said they were feeling a reduced amount of pain. Neck and shoulder patients experienced a 50 percent reduction in pain on average.

The lead author on the study is Lars Anderson who commented that those who spend a lot of time sitting down are particularly prone to neck, back and shoulder pain because they develop weak spots in their chain of muscles.

Kettlebell exercises are known to strengthen the muscles that we damage from sitting down and they also improve blood flow to the legs which can help relieve pain. Kettlebells are a challenging exercise for beginners and it is important that you take lessons when you first start using them.