Lower Back Pain: The Best Mobility Exercises to Stretch and Strengthen a Sore Back

Back pain comes with a lot of fear. Feel it and you either assume that you’re aging before your time or have some irreparable damage. Don’t freak out – most of the time, back pain can be attributed to limited mobility, which can be fixed with the right intel.  

While sitting at our desks is to blame, it has less to do with your slumping posture and more to do with the sheer amount of time we spend in this said position. “A problem that we have, as a society, is we spend a really long time at our computers,” agrees strength and conditioning coach Pennie Varvarides. “It’s not that sitting in that position specifically is bad. What’s bad is only ever sitting in that position, as it teaches your body that it doesn’t need to move through other postures.” 

When you then try to ‘improve’ your positioning, by standing up taller or working out, you may notice a lot of back pain. The worst thing you can do for lower back pain as a result of reduced mobility is to go on bed rest though.

“Moving is particularly good for low back pain – especially doing stretches specifically for back pain. If you haven’t done something specific, such as fallen or had a spine injury, getting out of your chair is the most beneficial thing you can do,” says Pennie. Although it feels scary to move your spine about, it should be able to move in all directions. “The spine is made up of lots of vertebra because it is designed to bend, move and twist in lots of ways,” says Pennie.

Improving mobility isn’t just about pain reduction though – it also makes your workouts and day-to-day life easier. “It comes down to movement freedom,” says Pennie. “If someone can’t touch their toes because their back is so stiff, it’s annoying, sure. But it also makes movements such as picking stuff up off the floor, playing with their kids, or putting on shoes way harder. These are things we have to do all the time that are suddenly more difficult because you’ve lost basic human function.”

Along with getting up regularly, Pennie suggests a few moves that will ease the spine and hips to improve the mobility in your lower back and help you feel less pain. “Ideally, you would have your spine move in all of the directions, every day. That doesn’t mean you have to spend hours working on mobility – maybe 10 minutes a day is enough,” she says. 

Here are four moves mobility moves to help reduce lower back pain. 

Cat-cow

“Most people don’t do cat-cow very well, because they move dramatically and quickly. It should be about slowly curling the spine through the positions,” says Pennie. 

1. Start in an all fours-position with your shoulders directly over your wrists and your hips directly over your knees. 
2. Starting from the bottom of your spine, slowly curl your spine towards the ceiling, pushing away from the floor and curling your neck in.
3. Inhale as you slowly unravel to arch the spine, tilting the head towards the ceiling and opening your chest. 

Repeat for 30 seconds

Jefferson curl

“Similarly to the cat-cow, it’s about getting the spine to lead the movement,” says Pennie. Although this may look and feel like everything you’re told not to do when deadlifting, it’s a great way to encourage spinal flexion. Once you’re familiar with the movement, try adding a light weight to encourage the pull through your back. 

1. Stand up tall with the feet together. 
2. Start the movement by tucking your chin in towards your chest and rolling down through the neck. 
3. Continue rounding through the shoulders then slowly through the spine, until your upper body is folded as closely to your legs as possible. Think of folding down one vertebrae of your spine at a time.
4. Keep the legs straight through the movement to feel the pull through your hamstrings. 
5. Unroll slowly back up to standing. 

Repeat for 30 seconds

Windmill

This builds strength through the lower back and hips, as well as stretching your posterior chain. You can also add weight into your left hand when you’re comfortable with the exercise. 

1. Take your feet into a stance just wider than hip-width and point both feet 45° to your right.
2. Place your right hand inside your right knee and your left hand up towards the sky. Keep eye contact with your left finger tips.
3. Bend your right knee and slowly lower your right hand down the inside of your leg while your left hand remains over head. 
4. Push back up to standing. 

Do 10 reps each side

Cross legged side bends

This move bends your spine sideways, rather than forwards and backwards, to train a different movement pattern. Once you’ve nailed the form, hold a weight on the side you’re leaning towards to gain strength, along with mobility. 

1. Stand up straight and place your left foot in front of your right foot with the outer edges touching. 
2. Bend your left knee slightly and start to slowly lean your weight to the left. 
3. When you’ve bent as far as you can, pull yourself back to the starting position. 

Repeat 10 times each side

 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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Yoga Poses to Soothe Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis. It is a joint disease, whereby the healthy cartilage that cushions the bones at the joints breaks down through wear and tear leading to:

• Stiffness
• Pain
• Swelling
• Limited range of joint motion.
 

Lifestyle changes, including a gentle yoga practice have been shown to improve symptoms associated with OA. In fact, one study compared patients with OA of the hands who tried a series of yoga poses for six weeks, alongside patients who did not do yoga. The group who did yoga experienced significant relief in joint tenderness, pain during activity and finger range of motion. 
 

A gentle yoga practice is advised for OA patients, especially when first starting out. Strenuous yoga poses or exercises should be avoided. 

Note: While the below yoga routing is very gentle, it's best speak to your doctor before starting any new exercise regimen:

 

1. Mountain Pose

Here's How:
• Stand with your feet together, big toes touching. Your second toes should be parallel and your heels slightly apart.
• Lift and spread your toes wide, then place them back down on the floor. This should enable you to find the right position. You can rock back and forth or side to side.
• Keep your weight balanced evenly on each foot. Stand tall and keep your spine neutral. Keep your arms relaxed and down at your sides with your palms facing outward.
• Hold the pose for 1 minute remembering to breathe deeply in and out.

2. Bound Angle

Here's How: 
• Start in a seated position with your legs straight out in front of you.
• Then, bend your knees,  and pull your heels in toward your pelvis. The goal is to bring your heels close to your pelvis without straining.
• Drop your knees to the side, while staying relaxed and press the soles of your feet together, keeping the outer edges of your feet to the floor, maintaining the position.
• Hold the pose for about 5 minutes. 

3. Warrior 2

Here's How:
• From mountain pose, step your feet about 4-feet apart.
• Lift your arms up and out until they are parallel with the floor. Keep your palms face down.
• While keeping your heels aligned, turn your right foot 90 degrees.
• Exhale and bend your right knee over your right ankle, keeping your shin perpendicular to the floor.
• Turn your head right, looking over your outstretched fingers.
• Hold the pose for 1 minute then reverse your feet and repeat on the opposite side. 

4. Staff Pose

Here's How:
• Sit on the floor with your legs together, stretched out in front of you. For extra comfort you may want to sit on a blanket.
• To maintain proper alignment you may want to sit against a wall, keeping your shoulder blades against the wall, but not your lower back and back of the head.
• Keep your thighs firm, pressing them down while rotating them toward each other.
• Flex your ankles, using your heels to press out.
• Hold the pose for 1 minute.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                  https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                                                                      FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                     https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com

Back pain causes: Painful symptoms could be a result of this serious health problem

Back pain is common and normally improves within a few weeks or months, but there are a variety of different things it can be caused by - some more serious than others. Your doctor will be able to to determine what the cause is when evaluating your back.

In most cases the pain is not caused by anything serious and will usually get better over time.

“Non-specific” back pain, where there is no obvious cause, tends to be down to posture, and tends to get better or worse depending on your position.

Conditions such as a slipped disc can also cause back pain. But in very rare cases, beck pain can be a sign of a serious problem - one of these being a broken bone in the spine.

According to experts, the main clinical symptoms of a fracture in the spine can include sudden onset of back pain.

Pain worsening with standing or walking, pain reducing after lying on your back, limited spinal mobility, height loss and deformity and disability can also be symptoms of a broken spine.

If you see your GP with back pain, they will look for signs of a broke bone in the spine.

Other more serious problems linked to back pain include an infection, cauda equine syndrome (where the nerves in the lower back become severely compressed), and cancer.

Fibromyalgia and osteoporosis can also cause lower back pain, but Boots WedMD also notes a more serious cause - cauda equine syndrome. It describes the condition as a “medical emergency”. 

It explains: “Disc material expands into the spinal canal, which compresses the nerves. A person experiences pain, possible loss of sensation and bowel or blaster dysfunction. This can include inability to control urination, causing incontinence, or the inability to begin urination.”

Other possible causes of cauda equine syndrome indulge a spinal lesion or tumour, a spinal infection, inflammation, haemorrhage or fracture, or a birth defect such as an abnormal connection between blood vessels.

Symptoms of the condition may vary and come on slowly. You may also experience pain, numbness or weakness in one o both legs that causes you to stumble or have trouble getting up from a chair.
Recent problems with bladder or bowel function, such as trouble eliminating urine or water or trouble holding it in, could also be signs.


The doctor has four tips that may help reduce your backache and speed up your recovery. It lists the following:
Stay as active as possible and try to continue your daily activities - this is one of the most important things you can do, as resting for long periods is likely to make the pain worse.

Try exercises and stretches for back pain; other activities such as walking, swimming, yoga and pilates may also be helpful.

Take anti-inflammatory painkillers, such as ibuprofen - remember to check the medicine is safe for you to take first and ask a pharmacist if you’re not sure.

Use hot or cold compression packs for short-term relief - you can buy these from your local pharmacy, or a hot water bottle and bag of frozen vegetables wrapped in a cloth will work just as well.

The health body adds: “Although it can be difficult, it helps if you stay optimistic and recognise that your pain should get better, as people who manage to stay positive despite their pain tend to recover quicker.

If you develop any of the symptoms of cauda equine syndrome you should seek medical advice immediately or visit the accident and emergency department of your nearest hospital.

In the majority of cases, back pain is not caused by anything serious and will usually get better over time.

A GP can examine your back and discuss possible treatments, but there are things you can do at home to relieve it.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                      PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/   
FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                           https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                              
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