Pain guide · Back pain

Back pain when sneezing or coughing: a strain, a disc or a fracture, how to brace and when to worry

A sneeze or a cough tightens your trunk in a split second and raises the pressure inside your tummy, so a back that is already sore, from a strained muscle or joint or a disc, often catches with it, and with sciatica the pain may shoot down the leg. A sneeze can also set off a back spasm. Most of this is ordinary back pain that settles, but the National Health Service (NHS) asks you to see a general practitioner (GP) if your back pain is worse when you sneeze, cough or poo, and with thin bones a cough or sneeze can break a rib or partly collapse a bone in the spine.

This guide starts with the signs that need help, from a 999 call or accident and emergency (A&E) to the NHS's 111 line (NHS 111) or a GP: numbness around the genitals or bottom, sudden breathlessness or chest pain with a cough, coughing up blood, sudden back pain after a sneeze or cough if your bones may be thin, and a cough that has lasted more than 3 weeks. Then it shows how to brace for the next sneeze and what the evidence says about it, and gives a three-stage plan with 3D demos that builds trunk control for sudden loads.

3-stage exercise plan When to get help 43 sourcesUpdated 25 October 2026

When to get help first

Exercise is for pain that has been checked or is clearly mild and settling.

Get urgent medical help if

Call 999 or go to A&E: loss of feeling or numbness around the genitals or bottom, new trouble peeing or controlling your bladder or bowels, changes in genital sensation during sex or problems with erections or orgasm, or pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs. These are signs of cauda equina syndrome, which needs treating in hospital urgently. Don't drive yourself.
Call 999 or go to A&E if breathing suddenly becomes difficult, if pain in your chest or upper back comes on suddenly with breathlessness or a very fast heartbeat, or if someone passes out. These are the NHS's signs of a blood clot in the lungs (a pulmonary embolism) or another serious condition. Don't drive yourself.
Call 999: sudden pain or discomfort in your chest that does not go away (it can feel like squeezing or pressure inside your chest, burning or indigestion); pain that spreads to your left or right arm, or your neck, jaw, stomach or back; or chest pain and you feel sweaty, sick, light-headed or short of breath. You could be having a heart attack.
Call 999 or go to A&E immediately if you're coughing up more than just a few spots or streaks of blood, or you're coughing up blood and finding it hard to breathe, have a very fast heartbeat or have pain in your chest or upper back. It could be a blood clot in the lungs.
Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if you've coughed up a few small spots, flecks or streaks of blood, or noticed blood in your phlegm, without chest pain or breathlessness.
Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if your cough is very bad or quickly gets worse (for example, a hacking cough or you cannot stop coughing), you feel very unwell, you have chest pain, the side of your neck feels swollen and painful, you find it hard to breathe, or you're coughing up blood.
Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111: sharp chest pain that comes and goes, or only happens when you breathe or cough (it can spread to your shoulders and back), sharp chest pain that hasn't got better after a few days, or being short of breath regularly.
Call 999 or go to A&E: with a broken or bruised rib, shortness of breath or chest pain that is getting worse, or coughing up blood. A broken rib may have damaged your lung.
Call 999 or go to A&E: with a broken or bruised rib, pain in your tummy or shoulder. A broken rib can damage the liver or spleen.
Same day: you have or have had cancer, and new back pain that is severe and doesn't let up, is getting steadily worse, is worse at night and disturbs your sleep, is worse when you cough, sneeze or strain, or comes with tenderness over the spine. Contact your cancer team or GP urgently. With cancer, new weakness, difficulty walking, numbness or bladder or bowel problems are an emergency.
Same day (GP or NHS 111): back pain and you feel hot, cold, shivery or generally unwell, or severe pain that starts suddenly or is getting worse quickly.
Same day: leg weakness that is getting worse.
Same day (urgent GP appointment or NHS 111): new difficulty lifting the front of your foot or toes (foot drop), or a foot that slaps down or catches as you walk, especially if it is getting worse. Weakness in both legs, or with numbness around the genitals or bottom or bladder or bowel changes, is the 999 emergency above.
Contact your GP or midwife urgently: back pain in the second or third trimester of pregnancy, or back pain in pregnancy with a fever, vaginal bleeding, pain when you pee, or pain in one or more of your sides (under your ribs). It could be early labour or an infection.
Call 999 or go to A&E now if you have a femoral hernia (a small lump at the top of your thigh, in your groin) and very bad tummy pain, you feel sick or you're being sick, you cannot fart or poo, you have a high temperature or you feel hot, cold or shivery, or you've suddenly become confused. Do not drive to A&E. With any other hernia and pain in or around it, a bloated tummy, feeling or being sick, vomiting blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds, constipation, a high temperature or feeling hot, cold or shivery, or sudden confusion, get help from NHS 111.

See a doctor or physiotherapist if

Pain that doesn't improve with rest or is worse at night, or pain that is worse when you sneeze, cough or poo.
Back pain that hasn't improved after a few weeks of looking after it at home, stops you doing day-to-day activities, or worries you.
Sudden new back pain after a minor fall, lift, cough or sneeze, from 50 or past the menopause, or if you take long-term steroid tablets; or height loss, a curved spine or a change in posture: see a GP. It can be a spinal fracture.
See a GP if you've had a cough for more than 3 weeks, you're losing weight for no reason, or you have a weakened immune system.
Back or chest pain with a cough that has lasted 3 weeks or more, breathlessness, weight loss or loss of appetite, especially if you smoke or used to: see a GP.
A rib broke from a cough, a sneeze or a minor bump: ask your GP about your bone health.
Pain, tingling or numbness spreading below the knee that isn't settling after a few weeks, is getting worse or stops your normal activities: see a GP.
A lump in the groin, upper thigh or tummy, especially one that appears when you cough or strain and goes when you lie down: see a GP, as it may be a true hernia. A femoral hernia (a small lump at the top of the thigh, mainly in women over 50) needs treating in hospital.
Leaking when you cough, sneeze, laugh or lift: see a GP. It's common and treatable, and you shouldn't feel embarrassed to ask. A new loss of bladder control with back pain is the 999 emergency above.

Where does it hurt?

Location narrows the likely causes; it does not diagnose.

The low back catches with a sneeze or cough, then is stiff and sore to move for days

Usually a strain or a spasm, which usually settles within weeks.

Read: Back spasm and pulled back muscle →Pain shoots down one leg, below the knee, when you sneeze or cough

Usually sciatica, an irritated nerve, often from a disc.

Read: Sciatica →A scan report says a bulging or herniated disc

Disc changes are common in people without pain; our disc guide explains what they mean.

Read: Herniated or bulging disc →Sudden mid or low back pain after a sneeze or cough, past the menopause, from 50 or on steroid tablets

A possible spinal fracture from thin bones: see a GP.

Read: Spinal compression fracture →One spot on a rib, after a coughing fit or a long cough

Possibly a bruised or broken rib.

Read: Rib injury →The ribs or upper back with each breath, cough or sneeze

Our upper back pain when breathing guide puts the heart and lungs first.

Read: Upper back pain when breathing →Rib pain, and you're not sure why

Our rib pain guide sorts the causes.

Read: Rib pain →The side or front of the tummy when you cough or sneeze

Possibly a strained tummy muscle.

Read: Abdominal strain →A lump in the groin or tummy that gets bigger when you cough or strain

Possibly a hernia: see a GP.

Read: Groin pain →Low back pain when you bend or lift

Our bending guide covers how to bend and lift for now.

Read: Back pain when bending →In pregnancy: the back of the pelvis or the pubic bone, catching when you sneeze

Usually pelvic girdle pain, which affects up to 1 in 5 pregnant women.

Read: Pelvic girdle pain (SPD) →

Leaking when you sneeze or cough, as well as back pain

Common and treatable with pelvic floor training: see a GP. Our pelvic floor page covers the exercises.

Understand it

Why a sneeze or cough hurtsEmerging evidence

A sneeze or a cough is a sudden, forceful squeeze of the trunk: the breathing and tummy muscles fire hard, and the pressure inside the tummy rises steeply. In 20 healthy young adults, a cough raised it to 107.6 mmHg on average, against 16.7 sitting and 20 standing. In a laboratory study of 12 healthy young men, most curled forward at the moment of a sneeze, and in one volunteer with a pressure sensor in a lumbar disc, the pressure was recorded during sneezing as well as other daily activities.

A back that is already irritable, whether from a strained muscle or joint, a disc pressing on a nerve or a broken rib, protests at that sudden load; a calm back usually doesn't. The NHS says sciatica 'may be worse when moving, sneezing or coughing', and pleurisy, an inflamed lining around the lung, causes sharp chest pain that may be worse when you cough or sneeze and can spread to the shoulders and back.

Sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

What it does and doesn't meanStrong evidence

Usually it is ordinary back pain, a strain or a spasm, or a disc and sciatica if the pain shoots down a leg. A sneeze can set off a back spasm, but no study we found has counted how often; the published reports are rare injuries described in single case reports.

It is a reason for a GP check, not panic: the NHS lists back pain that is 'worse when sneezing, coughing or pooing' among its reasons to see a GP, not among its urgent ones, and Arthritis UK says to seek advice sooner for it. Many people with a disc or sciatica have this. In people with sciatica, more pain on coughing, sneezing or straining was one of the findings that predicted a slower recovery, but no single symptom confirms a disc, and disc bulges are common on scans of people without pain.

With cancer, now or in the past, it is a same-day matter: the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) lists back pain made worse by straining, such as coughing, sneezing or opening your bowels, among the features suggesting cancer has spread to the spine.

Sources 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Thin bones, ribs and long coughsEmerging evidence

With thin bones, the NHS says a cough or sneeze can cause a broken rib or the partial collapse of one of the bones of the spine. In 54 people with ribs broken by coughing, 78% were women, 85% had coughed for 3 weeks or more, and 17 of the 26 who had a bone density scan had low bone density, though it can happen with normal bones; in another 90 people, 64% were past the menopause.

People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have more spinal fractures: 20.5% of 1,239 smokers and people with COPD had one on a scan. Long-term steroid tablets went with more spinal fractures in COPD (about 2.3 times the odds), and NICE names COPD as a fracture risk factor. In adults, whooping cough can bring weeks of coughing bouts and sore ribs.

Sources 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19

Other causes to know

A hernia, a lump in the groin or tummy, may get bigger when you cough or sneeze and smaller when you lie down. Hay fever, colds and a long-lasting cough mean more sneezes and coughs, and more chances for a sore back to catch. Leaking when you sneeze or cough often goes with back pain: in a survey of 38,050 women, frequent leaking and breathing problems were more strongly linked with frequent back pain than weight or activity, though a survey shows a link, not a cause.

Sources 20, 21, 22

When a scan or test helpsStrong evidence

Usually none: NICE advises against routine imaging for back pain. An X-ray, or a spine check with a bone density scan, helps when a spinal fracture is suspected. For a rib injury there's often no need for an X-ray, the NHS says, and the first chest X-ray showed only 58% of ribs broken by coughing. A GP may arrange an X-ray or a breathing test for a cough that won't go away, and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan if a slipped disc isn't getting better. After a bone breaks from a cough or sneeze, ask about a bone health check.

Sources 23, 24, 25, 14, 26, 27

How it usually goesStrong evidence

Strains and spasms: most new back pain improves a lot within 6 weeks (across 33 studies, average pain fell from 52 out of 100 to 23 at 6 weeks). Sciatica usually gets better in a few weeks to a few months. Bruised or broken ribs usually get better by themselves within 2 to 6 weeks, and a spinal fracture heals in 6 to 12 weeks. Most coughs clear within 3 to 4 weeks, but whooping cough bouts can last weeks to months. No one can promise a timescale.

Sources 28, 4, 25, 29, 26, 19

What helps, and how strong the evidence is

Standing tall or leaning on a table: one small laboratory studyEmerging evidence

In a laboratory study of 12 healthy young men, the load on the lower spine during a sneeze was lower when they stood deliberately upright, or leaned forward with both hands on a table, than in their usual sneeze, which curled them forward. None of them had back pain, and no trial has tested bracing for a sneeze or cough in people with back pain, so the sneeze steps on this page are our suggestion, built on that one study.

Source 2

The knack: a quick pelvic floor squeeze before a coughEmerging evidence

In 27 older women with mild leaking, tightening the pelvic floor just before and during a cough cut the leak by 98.2% for a medium cough and 73.3% for a deep cough within a week (a small randomised study). NICE recommends supervised pelvic floor muscle training for at least 3 months as the first treatment for leaking when you cough, sneeze or exert yourself. No study has tested whether the knack eases back pain.

Sources 30, 31

Keep moving, and use the direction that eases your backStrong evidence

The NHS says stay active and don't stay in bed for long periods, and advice to stay active did slightly better than bed rest for new low back pain (2 trials, 401 people); NICE supports getting back to normal activities. Many backs have a direction that eases them: in one trial, 74% of 312 people did, and exercises matched to that direction did better.

Sources 6, 32, 23, 33

Exercise is the main treatment for back pain that lastsStrong evidence

For long-lasting low back pain, exercise cut pain by about 15 points out of 100 against no treatment, usual care or placebo (moderate certainty, 249 trials), and NICE suggests a group exercise programme. The plan adds trunk control for sudden loads because this guide is about sneezes and coughs, but no trial has tested whether that changes how a sneeze feels (editorial).

Sources 34, 23

A back brace won't protect you from the next sneezeStrong evidence

Lumbar supports didn't prevent back pain in 7 trials of 14,437 people, and NICE says don't offer belts or corsets for low back pain.

Sources 35, 23

How much pain is OK while you exercise?

Up to about 5 out of 10, settled within an hour, no worse the next morning; if coughs and sneezes hurt more the next morning, it was too muchEmerging evidence

During the exercise, pain up to about 5 out of 10 is acceptable. It should settle within an hour or so, and your back should be no worse the next morning. If it is worse, do less next time (fewer repetitions, a smaller range, a lighter load), not nothing. NHS inform's back exercise page uses the same 0 to 10 scale and the same next-morning check, and in trials of long-lasting muscle and joint pain, exercise that allowed some pain did no worse than pain-free exercise.

The everyday test, borrowed from our abdominal strain guide, which uses coughing, sneezing and getting up as its checks: if a sneeze, a cough or getting out of bed hurts more the next morning than before a session, do less next time. If a sneeze sends pain, tingling or numbness further down your leg, make the movement smaller, and see a GP if it lasts. Sudden back pain after a sneeze with thin bones, or any warning sign, isn't a pain-rule question: see the warning signs. The 5 out of 10 figure matches the site's back guides and hasn't been tested as a rule.

Sources 36, 37

The exercise plan: 3 stages

Start at the first stage. Each move opens a full guide with a 3D demo.

Stage 1

The first days: ease it, and brace for the next sneeze

About the first 2 weeks, daily. Keep moving, use the direction that eases your back, and brace for sneezes and coughs as the written steps below describe. With a suspected spinal fracture, the spinal compression fracture guide's plan replaces this one.

Treadmill walking demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoTreadmill walkingBeginner · Cardio machine

5 to 10 min, several times a day · As in our back pain guide (editorial)

Harder: Treadmill jogging

Single knee-to-chest stretch demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoSingle knee-to-chest stretchBeginner · No equipment

Hold 20 to 30 s, 2 to 4 times each side · The move page's dose (editorial). Only if bending forward eases your pain; leave it out if it sends pain down a leg, and with osteoporosis avoid deep or repeated rounding, as the move page says

Harder: 90/90 hip lift-off

Prone press-up (McKenzie press-up) demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoProne press-up (McKenzie press-up)Beginner · No equipment

10 slow reps, 3 to 5 times a day, while it helps · The move page's dose (editorial). Only if arching eases your pain; skip it with spinal stenosis or if arching brings on leg symptoms, as the move page says, and with a suspected spinal fracture (our suggestion)

Easier: Sphinx pose (Salamba Bhujangasana)

3D demoCat-cowBeginner · No equipment

8 waves, slower than feels natural · The move page's dose

Harder: Half lord of the fishes (Ardha Matsyendrasana)

Lying sciatic nerve slider (nerve glide) demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoLying sciatic nerve slider (nerve glide)Beginner · No equipment

10 reps with a 1-second pause, 2 to 3 times a day · The move page's dose, one NHS musculoskeletal service's. Only with pain or tingling down the leg; try it for 2 weeks and keep it only if it eases your leg, as the move page says

Harder: Seated sciatic nerve slider (nerve glide)

Pelvic floor exercise (Kegel) demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoPelvic floor exercise (Kegel)Beginner · No equipment

8 slow holds of up to 10 s and 8 quick squeezes, 3 times a day, building towards 10 of each · The move page's dose, from a UK pelvic health physiotherapy group and Prostate Cancer UK. Only if you leak when you sneeze or cough; add a quick squeeze just before each sneeze or cough (the knack)

Move on when: Our suggestion, with the back hub's check: you can walk for 15 to 20 minutes, sneezes and coughs catch less, and your back is no worse the next morning.

Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

Stage 2

Build trunk control for sudden loads

About weeks 2 to 6: 2 or 3 days a week. Build trunk strength and control in the positions a sneeze and a cough load suddenly (editorial: no trial has tested this for sneeze pain).

Dead bug heel taps demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoDead bug heel tapsBeginner · No equipment

2 sets of 6 to 8 each side · As in our back pain guide (editorial); then the full dead bug

Easier: Bent-knee fall-out · Harder: Forearm plank

3D demoBird dogBeginner · No equipment

2 to 3 sets of 6 to 8 each side, with 3 to 5 s holds · As in our back pain guide (editorial)

Easier: Bird dog, one limb at a time · Harder: Bear crawl

Knee side plank demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoKnee side plankBeginner · No equipment

3 holds of 15 to 20 s each side · As in our back pain guide (editorial)

Harder: Side plank

Glute bridge demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoGlute bridgeBeginner · No equipment

2 to 3 sets of 10 · As in our back pain guide (editorial)

Easier: Pelvic tilt into bridge · Harder: Single-leg glute bridge

Hip-hinge practice demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoHip-hinge practiceBeginner · No equipment

2 to 3 sets of 10 · As in our back pain guide (editorial)

Harder: Dumbbell Romanian deadlift

Half-kneeling Pallof press demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoHalf-kneeling Pallof pressBeginner · A band + An anchor point

2 sets of 8 to 10 each side, light · As in our back pain guide (editorial): bracing against a pull, a cousin of bracing for a sneeze (our reasoning)

Harder: Pallof press

Move on when: Our suggestion: you can do every set with good control, and a sneeze no longer sends a jolt through your back.

Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

Stage 3

Strengthen, and back to everything

From about week 6, and ongoing: the back hub's last stage. With thin bones or after a spinal fracture, our osteoporosis page and the spinal compression fracture guide's plan are the long-term home; with a long-lasting cough or COPD, our COPD page and its breathe-and-move workout.

Side plank demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoSide plankIntermediate · No equipment

3 holds of 20 to 30 s each side · As in our back pain guide (editorial)

Easier: Knee side plank · Harder: Side plank with leg lift

Suitcase carry demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoSuitcase carryIntermediate · A dumbbell + A kettlebell

3 walks of 20 to 30 m each side · As in our back pain guide (editorial). If you can't stay level, the weight is too heavy, as the move page says

Easier: Farmer's carry · Harder: Overhead carry (waiter's walk)

Kettlebell deadlift demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoKettlebell deadliftBeginner · A kettlebell

3 sets of 8 to 10, light to start · As in our back pain guide (editorial)

Easier: Hip-hinge practice · Harder: Dumbbell Romanian deadlift

Dumbbell goblet squat demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoDumbbell goblet squatIntermediate · A dumbbell

3 sets of 8 to 10 · As in our back pain guide (editorial)

Easier: Bodyweight squat · Harder: Barbell front squat

Locust pose (Salabhasana) demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoLocust pose (Salabhasana)Beginner · No equipment

3 holds of 3 to 5 breaths · Editorial; our back pain guide suggests it at home in place of the gym's back extension. Lower your chest and legs if your back pinches, and ease off with acute back pain, as the move page says

Easier: Seated upper-back lift (sit tall, shoulders back) · Harder: One-legged bow (half locust)

Move on when: Our suggestion: sneezes, coughs, lifting and a full day's activity leave your back no worse the next morning. Keep two strength days a week, because back pain often comes back.

Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

What to change for now

Brace for a sneeze or cough (written steps)

Our 3D figure can't show a sneeze. These steps are our suggestion, built on one small laboratory study of 12 healthy young men and on NHS rib advice; no trial has tested bracing for back pain.

1. When you feel a sneeze coming, stand up straight, or put both hands on a table, a worktop or the back of a chair and lean on them, rather than curling forward or twisting. In the laboratory study, both lowered the load on the low back.
2. If you're sitting, sit tall with your back against the chair (our extension of that study; untested).
3. Soften your knees and keep breathing out through the sneeze or cough rather than holding your breath hard (our suggestion).
4. If you leak, squeeze your pelvic floor just before and during the sneeze or cough (the knack).
5. With a sore rib or tummy, hold a pillow or a folded towel against the sore spot, and don't hold back a cough you need: coughing helps clear mucus from your lungs and prevent a chest infection (the NHS).

Sources 2, 30, 25

Calm the cause, and the first days (written steps)

These come from the NHS, except where a step is our suggestion.

1. Hay fever: a pharmacist can advise on treatments such as antihistamine tablets, drops or nasal sprays.
2. A cough: rest, drink plenty of fluids, take paracetamol or ibuprofen for any pain, and try hot lemon and honey; see a GP if it lasts more than 3 weeks.
3. A long-lasting cough with COPD: our COPD page covers breathing control and pulmonary rehabilitation (our suggestion).
4. For the back: keep up your daily activities, use a heat pack or hot water bottle wrapped in a tea towel for stiffness or spasm, and don't stay in bed for long periods. An anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen may help if it suits you; paracetamol on its own isn't recommended for back pain.

Sources 21, 26, 6

Medicines and other treatments

For a disc and sciatica, the NHS lists painkillers, physiotherapy and exercise first, then, for severe pain that isn't improving, injections, a procedure that seals off the nerves sending pain signals (radiofrequency denervation) or decompression surgery; surgery for a slipped disc isn't usually needed. For ribs, painkillers help you breathe and cough properly. NICE doesn't recommend belts or corsets for back pain. A spinal fracture has its own guide.

Sources 4, 27, 25, 23

Positions to swap, and why

Habit or position	Why it matters	Instead
Curling forward or twisting as you sneeze	In one small laboratory study, the load on the low back was higher in people's usual forward-leaning sneeze.	Stand tall, or put both hands on a table (our suggestion).
Holding back a cough you need	The NHS says coughing helps clear mucus and prevent chest infections after a rib injury.	A supported cough, with a pillow held against the sore spot.
Ignoring a cough that has lasted 3 weeks	The NHS says see a GP.	A GP appointment.
A back brace after a sneeze injury	Supports didn't prevent back pain in trials, and NICE says don't offer belts or corsets.	Trunk strength.Try: Knee side plank
Bed rest	The NHS says don't stay in bed for long periods.	Short walks, little and often.Try: Treadmill walking
Pushing on when a sneeze sends pain further down your leg	Leg symptoms that spread mean a smaller movement, as the back pain rule says.	A smaller movement, the nerve slider if it helps, and a GP if it lasts.Try: Lying sciatic nerve slider (nerve glide)
Sit-ups and deep rounding with thin bones, after a cough fracture	The move page says avoid deep or repeated rounding of the spine with osteoporosis.	Hinge from the hips with a long back.Try: Hip-hinge practice
Squeezing your pelvic floor harder with pelvic pain	The move page says the muscles may need to relax instead.	Relaxation first, and a pelvic health physiotherapist.Try: Pelvic floor relaxation (reverse Kegel)

Routines to follow

Lower back stretch routine

Seven gentle stretches and mobility moves for a stiff lower back, done lying and kneeling.

12 minBeginner7 movesA wall

McGill big 3 core routine

The McGill big three for the core: curl-ups, side planks and bird dogs, each held for 10 seconds at a time in falling sets of 5, 3 and 1 reps.

12 minBeginner3 movesNo equipment

Beginner core workout

A 15-minute beginner core workout on the floor: dead bugs, bird dogs, knee planks, side planks and curl-ups.

15 minBeginner6 movesNo equipment

Daily pelvic floor workout

A 5-minute daily pelvic floor workout for women and men: slow holds and quick squeezes, three times a day, with how to find the right muscles.

5 minBeginner2 movesNo equipment

Breathe and move: a home workout for COPD

A 25-minute home session for COPD: marching and light strength work, with pursed-lip and paced breathing and rests in a recovery position when you need them.

25 minBeginner12 movesA bench or box, A wall

Chronic pain flare-up routine: gentle movement for a bad day

A 10-minute routine for a pain flare-up: slow breathing, small gentle moves lying and sitting, a short stroll if you can, then rest. Repeat later in the day.

10 minBeginner10 movesA band, A bench or box

More moves for this area

Questions people ask

Why does my back hurt when I sneeze?

A sneeze squeezes your trunk suddenly and raises the pressure inside your tummy, and most people curl forward as they do it. A back that is already sore, from a strain, a stiff joint or a disc, protests at that jolt, and with sciatica the pain may shoot down the leg.

Is back pain when I sneeze a sign of a slipped disc?

It can be, especially if the pain goes down a leg, but many people with ordinary back pain feel a sneeze too, and no single symptom proves a disc. Disc bulges are also common on scans of people without any pain.

Can sneezing cause a slipped disc?

No study has measured how often it happens, and reports of sneeze injuries are rare case reports. A sneeze more often sets off pain in a back that was already irritable, and the NHS lists ageing, lifting heavy objects the wrong way, long spells sitting or driving and being inactive among the things that can lead to a slipped disc.

I sneezed and hurt my back. What should I do?

Keep moving gently, use heat for spasm, and take an anti-inflammatory if it suits you. Most new back pain improves a lot within 6 weeks. Check the warning signs if pain goes down both legs, you have numbness around the genitals or bladder changes, or your bones may be thin.

How should I sneeze with back pain?

Our suggestion is to stand up straight, or lean with both hands on a table, rather than curling forward: in one small laboratory study of 12 healthy young men, both lowered the load on the low back. Squeeze your pelvic floor first if you leak, and hold a pillow over a sore rib. No trial has tested bracing in people with back pain.

Why does my lower back hurt when I cough?

For the same reasons as a sneeze, and a long or severe coughing fit can also strain muscles or, with thin bones, crack a rib. See a GP if the cough has lasted more than 3 weeks.

Is back pain that's worse when I sneeze serious?

Usually not on its own, but the NHS lists back pain that's worse when sneezing, coughing or pooing among its reasons to see a GP, and Arthritis UK says to seek advice sooner for it. If you have or have had cancer, it needs your cancer team or GP the same day.

Why does my back hurt when I sneeze in pregnancy?

Back and pelvic pain are common in pregnancy, and a sneeze jolts them. Contact your GP or midwife urgently for back pain in the second or third trimester, or with a fever, bleeding, pain when you pee or pain under your ribs.

Why does my upper back hurt when I sneeze or breathe in?

Often a strained muscle between the ribs or a sore rib, but pleurisy, an inflamed lining around the lung, hurts with coughing and sneezing too. Call 999 or go to A&E if breathing suddenly becomes difficult, if pain in your chest or upper back comes on suddenly with breathlessness or a very fast heartbeat, or if someone passes out. Our upper back pain when breathing guide covers the rest.

Why does sneezing hurt more lying down?

A sneeze in bed can make you jerk into a curl you can't brace against, so if you can, roll onto your side or sit up first (our suggestion). Back pain that doesn't improve with rest, or is worse at night, needs a GP.

Can a cough or sneeze break a bone?

With thin bones, yes: a rib, or a partial collapse of a bone in the spine. Ribs broken by coughing are commonest in women with a long cough, and the first X-ray can miss them; after one, ask your GP about your bone health.

I leak when I sneeze and my back hurts. Are they linked?

They often go together. Leaking with coughs and sneezes is common and treatable with pelvic floor training, so see a GP; but a new loss of bladder control with back pain or numbness around your genitals is a 999 call.

Related exercise guides

Other pain guides

Sources

Exercise education, not a diagnosis or treatment plan. It is written from the guidelines and studies listed above; review by a clinician is pending. If your pain follows an injury, is severe, is getting worse, or comes with any warning sign listed on this page, get it assessed. Health disclaimer.