Easy Exercises To Beat Back Pain
Having a bad back isn’t just for your nan, it can happen to anyone, and when it does it can be debilitating for days.
No matter how tall or short you are, how well you usually sit at your desk or how fancy your neck-protecting pillow is - no one is safe.
But there are some simple things you can do to ease and prevent back pain.
Working particular muscle groups and stretching out the right tight spots can make a world of difference. So when you’ve got a twinge, here are the exercises to fix you:
Lower Back Pain
Knee Rolls
These can bring almost instant relief to a sore back. Just lie on your back and allow your knees to fall to one side, bring them back to centre and then repeat on the other side. Stay on each side for a count of five. Repeat as desired.
Pelvic Tilts
This is a great way to encourage your back to return to a comfortable alignment.
Start with legs hip-width apart and knees bent, then raise your pelvis using your leg strength and hold for five-10 seconds before lowering down slowly vertebra by vertebra. Repeat three-five times.
Plank And Side Plank
If you have lower back pain you should avoid sit ups as they can do more harm than good. Instead, the plank and side-plank positions work your core and stomach muscles. This is also important for back pain prevention as a strong core will help support your muscles and skeleton.
Hold the position for as long as you can (you may want to work up from 15 or 30 seconds to a whole minute), before turning onto one side, then the other for the same amount of time. Rest and repeat.
Cat-Cow
This is a wonderful yoga pose that helps bring back movement and flexibility to your spine. Start on all fours and curve your back up like an angry cat, then moving with your breath reverse the position so your back is concave and your head and tailbone are pointing towards the ceiling. Repeat for a minute or so.
Hamstring Stretch
Don’t forget that different areas of your body are interconnected - which is why tight hamstrings can radiate pain towards your back. As they’re such huge muscles, stretching them out can make a real difference to your overall flexibility and loosening up your legs and pelvis will help to soothe back pain long term.
Neck And Shoulder Pain
Legs Up The Wall
Inverted (upside down) positions can help re-set your body by taking the weight off over-used limbs and back muscles. Lie down on the floor and scoot your bum as close to the wall as possible while ensuring that your tailbone is flat to the floor.
Then gently swing your legs up the wall and allow it to take their weight. Put your arms out to the sides and allow the position to do all the stretching your body needs. Stay as long as you like.
Seated Neck Release
Gently put your left hand on the right side of your head and press slightly until you feel your neck stretch. Hold for five seconds and repeat on the other side.
Gently using the weight of your head to stretch out your neck is an effective way of unknotting muscles around your shoulders and upper body. Don’t press too hard though, it should just be a gentle stretch.
Cobra Pose
Much neck and upper back pain is caused by bad posture and sitting at a computer all day so giving yourself the chance to stretch the other way is super important. Yoga’s cobra pose is perfect.
Lie on the floor with your hands underneath your shoulders, then use your core and back muscles to lift and look up like a snake rearing - without putting too much of your weight on your hands. Hold for a few seconds and release. Repeat three-five times.
Thoratic Extension
Again, this is an important one if your bad posture is to blame for your sore back. The aim is to reverse the hunched-forward position we all seem to revert to during a day at work. And the way to do this is to stretch out the chest.
Follow the instructions in this video:
Pectoralis Stretch
This is another chest-related stretch that will make all the difference to your back. Your pectoral muscles cover most of your rib cage, so it’s important to work them out and stretch them to allow your back muscles to relax.
You can do this using a doorway.
Hold your arm against the door frame at a right angle and lean your body forwards to create the stretch. Only go as far as is comfortable - never force it if you feel pain. Repeat on the other side. Try and do this daily even when you don’t have back pain. Prevention is better than cure, of course!
