Hey there!
Part 2 of my 3 part series on lower back pain.
Not too much reading today! Just a few tips but the main thing I wanted to show you was the video at the bottom of the article. It gives you some great stretches which you can do at home which can help to alleviate back problems and go some way to preventing more problems in the future.
Your posture is another thing to be mindful of. So many people suffer with muscular tightness, weakness and imbalances which isn’t helped by poor posture.
Being sat behind a desk or the steering wheel all day everyday isn’t good for us. Obviously this can’t be helped with some people’s jobs so just ensure that you are nice and upright, head forward, abdominal muscles engaged, shoulders back and your lower back properly supported. Keep thinking about this constantly, no matter what you’re doing.
If you suffer from back problems the obvious thing to stretch would be your back, but also you need to think about your hamstrings. Your hamstrings are the muscles which run down the back of each leg. If your hamstrings are tight it can limit the motion of the pelvis, this then increases the stress across the lower back which can cause poor posture and eventually more serious lower back problems.
Stretching the hamstrings and improving their flexibility can help to reduce some stress on the lower back. The easiest way to find out your hamstring flexibility is to try and touch your toes while keeping the legs straight. If you can’t get anywhere near then you really need to stretch them regularly!
You can do the above stretch standing or sitting. Regularly doing this and holding for 10-60s (start small and build it up) will help to improve your flexibility.
I just want to point out that you should only stretch the muscles once they are warm. There is more chance of injury when you stretch cold muscles.
Also want to point out that if you’re suffering severely with back pain then you should avoid stretches until your condition improves.
Okay so here is the video. It’s got some great stretches to do. This isn’t just for people who suffer with back problems, I do many of these stretches regularly. The more supple and flexible you are the easier life is and the less likely you are of getting injured.
Okay hope you’ve found this helpful and I’ll catch you in a couple of weeks to show you ways of strengthening your lower back.
Take care,
Jamie ‘Stretch’ Stedman
PS Click here to see part 1 if you missed it.