Strengthen Your Spine With These 10 Exercises

A healthy spine allows you to do things like walk, run, bend over and twist with ease. And the best way to support your spine is by strengthening the muscles around it. Exercises to support your entire spine — including your cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine — can keep you pain-free and mobile.

When you think about spinal strengthening exercises, you may be only thinking of your lower back. Maintaining a healthy body means keeping your entire spine strong, including your upper, mid and lower back. A regular exercise program to keep your spine strong will also prevent future injuries.

"Strengthening exercises allow the muscles supporting the spine to be stronger. They also provide stability to the spinal column," says Antonio Webb, MD, a fellowship-trained and board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon in San Antonio, Texas. "[They] also enable better posture by keeping the spine in alignment. Poor posture is a common contributor to back pain, particularly in the cervical and lumbar regions. Proper strengthening exercises can help mitigate this.

A strong core is the foundation for a healthy spine, says the Mayo Clinic. It helps to give you the stability and balance to move in the most efficient manner. Your core also promotes proper posture. In addition to your core, it is important to strengthen other muscles that support your spine to prevent muscle imbalances, which can lead to pain and injuries.

Your spine starts at your neck — and a strong cervical spine not only helps with posture (and prevents the dreaded "tech neck" from looking down at your phone) but also promotes pain-free movement.

"My favorite way to strengthen my cervical spine is first maintaining a good posture. This is critical to improving the overall health of your cervical spine," Dr. Webb says. "Prolonged flexion, especially in my line of work as a surgeon and also in people who are constantly [looking down at] their phone, can put undue tension on the posterior supporting muscles causing them to fatigue and spasm. This can lead to discomfort and pain."

One of Dr. Webb's top cervical exercises includes isometric strengthening, which research has shown to be effective. A September 2022 meta-analysis in ‌Medicine‌ found that isometric neck strengthening exercises were effective in decreasing pain and improving function and mobility.

A strong thoracic (or mid-back) spine helps promote good posture to prevent a humped back, also called postural kyphosis. An October 2017 study in ‌Osteoporosis International‌ found that postural training and exercises improved a hunched posture after six months.

"Exercises that can strengthen the thoracic spine include yoga or Pilates," Dr. Webb says. "Poses like the cobra and the bridge, in addition to rotational stretches, can be beneficial and helpful."

"Exercises that strengthen the lumbar spine should focus on core stability, which is essential for reducing the load on the lumbar vertebrae and discs," Dr. Webb says. He recommends planks, glute bridges, wall sits and pelvic tilts. "Additionally, maintaining movement in the lumbar region can prevent stiffness and discomfort."

Three specific core strengthening exercises called McGill's Big 3 work the core in a way that helps protect your spine from injuries. The three exercises are the modified curl-up, side plank and bird-dog (videos below). An April 2018 study in the ‌Journal of Physical Therapy Science‌ found that these three exercises, when compared to conventional exercises, were more effective in reducing pain and improving movement, especially for those who have chronic low back pain.

Try to do the following 10 exercises two to three times per week, along with aerobic conditioning. "Several other exercises can help promote a healthy spine including aerobic exercises, swimming, walking, aquatic therapy, stretching, yoga and Pilates," Dr. Webb says.