Editor’s note: Join Dana Santas’ four-part series to learn how to recover from and prevent back pain. Known as “Mobility Maker,” Santa is a certified strength and conditioning specialist, professional mind-body coach in his sports, and author of “Practical Solutions for Back Pain Relief.” Here is Part I.
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When you’re suffering from back pain, the last thing you probably want to do is get out of bed. But for most back pain sufferers, getting relief requires actually working through the pain. Exercise is more effective in relieving back pain than passive approaches.
In Part I of this series, I explained why it is important to understand the potential causes of back pain and assess the optimal course of treatment.
Here, we will focus on what exercises can help you do to help you determine which exercises can relieve pain and restore back health.
Designed for movement, the body needs to stay active for good health. Sitting for long periods of time weakens muscles, stiffens connective tissue, and reduces joint lubrication. On the contrary, movement heals and supports you. Your physiology rewards your activity by releasing feel-good hormones and reducing stress.
The most common causes of back problems include poor respiratory mechanics and posture, hip strain, physical trauma, age-related degeneration, sedentary lifestyle, excess weight or pregnancy, and stress. Since most of these are related to muscle problems, using corrective exercises to recruit and strengthen the muscles that support and move the spine is key to reducing and preventing back pain. becomes.
The mind-body connection is a bridge that allows you to develop a sense of attunement to your body’s state and respond to your body’s messages.
In back pain, misinterpreting or ignoring pain messages can lead to injury, and overreacting can lead to unnecessary tests, medications, and procedures that can slow recovery. There is. By tapping into the mind-body connection, you can better differentiate between warning sensations that warn you to avoid certain movements and less severe sensations caused by muscle tension or joint stiffness. The latter is the kind of pain you want to go through in order to achieve relief.
Mindfulness meditation and breathing exercises can help strengthen your mind-body connection as you perform the exercises below.
Here are three exercise categories for dealing with back pain and examples for you to try.
As you practice an exercise, stop as soon as it becomes painful or feels “unusual”. Remember to pay attention to every sensation you experience.
These exercises are designed to address the most common causes of back pain, but not all back pain responds to the same treatments, so not all exercises will work for everyone. Talk to your doctor to understand the cause of your pain and get approval before starting an exercise program.
While many of these exercises can benefit low back pain with sciatic symptoms, Part III of the series focuses on sciatica and provides additional ways to manage nerve-related conditions.
Practicing proper diaphragmatic breathing is the cornerstone of all back pain treatment and prevention programs I use in professional sports. It is also a muscle in the body, so establishing proper respiratory biomechanics can realign your spine, pelvis, and ribcage while strengthening your core. Deep breathing also reduces the body’s physiological stress response and promotes recovery.
In addition to the 5-7-3 breathing exercises in Part I, follow the directions below or watch this video (shown above) and try my breathing bridge exercises. Read my breathing series on how breathing affects your overall health.
breathing bridge
Lie on your back, bend your knees, and place your feet on the floor, hips apart.
Place a foam yoga block or rolled towel between your knees to keep them from splaying.
Place your hand under your ribs to guide and monitor the movement in and out with each inhalation.
Exhale fully, draw your lower ribs toward each other, feel your core turn on and your rib cage lower. After exhaling, without inhaling, draw your tailbone in to flatten your lower back and lift your hips 3 to 4 inches off the floor.
While maintaining a bridge position, take five long, deep breaths, focusing on proper rib movement, especially exhaling.
Use your core and glutes strength to hold this position and keep your lower back from arching.
Keep your ribcage from moving upward while breathing. There should be no stress or tension in your jaw, neck or shoulders.
If you experience noticeable pain when lifting your hips into the bridge, keep your hips and back on the floor as you practice breathing.
Practice 2 sets for a total of 10 breaths.
The lumbar spine of the lower back is not designed to twist. They are meant to be stable. The hip joint adopts a ball joint and can rotate in all directions.
Unfortunately, if your hips are tight or your pelvis doesn’t move freely, it puts pressure on your lower back. It’s important to avoid that pressure by creating a healthy balance between hip and pelvic mobility and lumbar stability.
Addressing hip flexors is an important starting point for hip and pelvic mobility. Watch this video for my 3 way hip flexor release for him.
The thoracic vertebrae in the middle of your back are designed to rotate, and if you don’t rotate well your hips will try to compensate. Mid-back rotation exercises are great for relieving pressure on your lower back and creating healthy spinal motion.
This Double Bent Knee Twist uses your breath and corresponding rib movement to stabilize your lower back and support healthy rotation through your mid-back. As you attempt any type of mid-back twist exercise, keep these instructions in mind.
double bent knee twist
Lie on your right side with your knees bent at 90 degrees and aligned in front of your hips.
Use a pad or pillow under your head to keep your neck neutral.
Place a yoga block or pillow between your knees.
Try to overlap your shoulders, hips and knees.
Place your hands on the floor and extend your arms straight out in front of you with your palms together and your shoulders.
Keeping your lower body on your right side, open your left arm to the left and inhale. The knees and hips remain aligned and stacked. This is important to stabilize your hips.
Twist from the middle of your back, not your hips.
Place your right hand on the outside of your left leg to help hold it in place.
As you exhale, concentrate on drawing your lower ribs inward on the right side of your ribcage, further twisting your ribcage and thoracic spine.
Inhale four more times and hold the position, concentrating on the movement of your exhaling ribs to guide your rotation.
Repeat from left side.
After trying exercises that fit into these three categories, decide what works for you and do them daily for at least two weeks.
If sciatica is one aspect of your back pain, look for techniques to reduce neuralgia in the next article in this series. When your back health starts to improve, refer to Part 4 of the series for a proactive maintenance plan to avoid pain.
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