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Thanks so much for your question. It's great to see you actively looking for things you can do, rather than sitting on the couch griping about what you can't do when you're injured or in pain.
Depending on the cause of your lower back pain, gentle movement can actually help you feel better. Many people with low-grade, chronic pain often say that they feel less pain when they're moving around than when they're inactive.
Of course, you should always check with your health care provider to get an accurate diagnosis of the problem. In consultation with him or her, you can then determine whether or not physical activity is a good thing in your situation.
If the answer is "yes," then I have good news! There are plenty of pole dancing moves that are non-weight bearing and also very sexy.
It's difficult to describe them in writing, but if you think of your dance pole more as a dance partner than a piece of gymnastic equipment, perhaps you can start to imagine the possibilities.
I actually just filmed a pole dance workout DVD, which uses only simple, non-weight bearing dance moves to create a great cardio workout. So it's definitely possible to pole dance for exercise without all those crazy, weight bearing tricks!
There may be certain types of pole dance movements that you'll want to avoid, but there are likely many others that can be beneficial.
These include many movements that can help improve your core stabilizing muscles, which in turn can actually help strengthen your back so it's less susceptible to re-injury.
I believe that we know our own bodies best, so when I have a student with an injury or pain, I ask them to just stay aware of how they feel. If everything is working fine, great! But if anything is not feeling good, they definitely should NOT suffer through it!
As I said, it's hard to describe actual moves in writing that may be suitable for you, but you may want to review this page on my site that has a section on questions you should ask before signing up for a pole dancing class. Some of these questions may help you choose a class that's the right level for your current ability, given your back pain.
