The elliptical machine was one of the first things I could do to get exercise - and for a long time the only thing I could do at a quick enough pace to get my heart rate up.  The fact that it's low impact helped me exercise on it for longer than I was able to walk on the treadmill, especially in the beginning while I still had a lot of sciatic pain. 

It was very important for me to pay careful attention to my posture while using the elliptical machine - as my muscles fatigued it was easy to fall into a pattern where I lifted my hip instead of my leg because it was easier (especially with the weakness from my sciatica).  As soon as I noticed this happening I stepped off of the machine and went on to something else - usually a little stretching to help me regain my energy.

 
more information about back care exercise

I have no relationship with the exercises and therapies I describe and created this site purely to inspire others to go take control of their own back care and to provide some ideas of treatments to discuss with your doctor.  If you find this website useful, please add a link to it from your website or blog.