Are crunches the best Ab exercise?

I have recently suffered from a low back injury. It’s completely rocked my exercise world. In the past I have called myself the core queen and implemented a lot of core work into my personal training, which is structured with super setting. A super set is back to back exercise which involves different muscle groups. I would target one muscle group in my first set, like your legs and arms and then almost always your abs in the second set. Now, I am a very creative personal trainer. So, the ab work did not always include crunching. After I have had to get an examination for my back and undergo physical therapy it has made me rework my approach to core work and limit the amount of crunches I add to my clients work-out. Some of the best ways to work your core are plank and dead bug because they keep your spine in flexion. A sit-up or crunch compresses the spine and too much of that can be a bad thing. Also remember the Yoga pose, Spinx pose is a great way to maintain the health of your spine. One thing I’ve learned in my healing process is everything in moderation.