I often get the question "Jeff, how can I get rid of this back pain in my lower back?" The more I get this question the more I realize how much of a problem this is really becoming especially in the overweight and middle aged population.
Before I go any further with this article I want to remind everybody of the two different types of injuries/pain. The first one is Acute pain, which is generally an injury that just occurred recently and the pain associated with it is do this recent injury and it is not a condition that has been on-going for many months or even years. The second type is chronic pain, usually resulting from an injury or trauma from many months ago or sometimes years ago.
In my humble opinion there are four main factors that contribute to lower back pain. So here are my 4 Tips to reduce lower back pain.
Flexibility: The Spinal column is the most crucial aspect of our everyday existence and anyone experiencing low back pain can tell you how painful the most common tasks become when the back is out of whack. So to attack one problem would be to begin with some basic stretches 2-3 times weekly and eventually working your way up to 5-7 days per week. Hold each stretch for approximately 10-30 seconds and remember to take deep breaths as well to ensure the complete relaxation of the mind and body.
Core Strength: The entire lower back is is attached to the hip girdle and wraps around to the connecting abdominal muscles on the front side of your body. Here is a quick simple exercise that can be done at your desk to strengthen your transverse abdominal muscles. Sit upright and inhale as deep as possible, then when exhaling flex those abdominal muscles and imagine sucking your belly button in towards your spine. Then hold that for about 20-30 seconds while breathing lightly in and out. Do this often and you will begin to notice much greater control of your abdominal muscles, this alone will help you greatly with alleviating the back pain in addition to preventing future injury.
Lifting habits: Whenever you lift things for now on whether at the gym, moving, groceries, whatever it may be keep the back straight and control the abdominal muscles like we just did and lower your body by bending at your hips first and then knees. This will allow your very strong leg muscles to do the work and your abs will help maintain the postural integrity of your back when lifting things.
Posture: This one is tough especially for those who work at a computer most of the day. But here is a quick exercise to do that will help maintain good posture. Sit down in your chair with legs at a 90 degree angle; sit with your upper body perfectly straight and your head straight forward as well. Now pull your shoulder blades down and back toward each other, this should pull your shoulders back naturally and then control the abdominal muscles like we did earlier. Do these every so often throughout the day and you will begin to notice the control that you can have over your posture. Say goodbye to the lower back pain please.
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