Research
Cellular
Participation in abdominal crunches may increase the risk for low back pain.
Practitioners should weigh the benefits against the potential risk of low back pain when recommending this exercise.
StrongQualifiesmedium confidence
DESPITE THE BENEFITS, PARTICIPATION MAY INCREASE ONE'S RISK FOR LOW BACK PAIN.
Why this rating
The claim is based on existing concerns in the fitness community.
Source
Abdominal Crunches Are/Are Not a Safe and Effective Exercise
Brad J. Schöenfeld et al. · Strength and conditioning journal · 2016
DOI 10.1519/ssc.0000000000000263
reviewCited 4×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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