A recent study found that 55% of people now say they have more back pain1 since shifting to remote work. With millions of people already suffering from back pain, more of us working from home than ever, what can we do to prevent pain from taking over?
Exercise is a great way to strengthen muscles in your back and prevent recurring incidents. We’ve put together five simple exercises you can do at home to help you prevent and relieve lower back pain relief. so that you can live a more comfortable life.
1. Tabletop to cow pose
These two yoga poses are great for beginners and will help to strengthen your spine by activating the tailbone and increasing blood flow.
- Put down a mat or pillow and get down on all fours.
- Place your arms in front of you with arms, elbows and shoulders in line.
- Push down on your palms and your tail bone to the wall behind you.
- This neutral pose is called ‘tabletop’ – You should feel your spine lengthening as you gently push down through your hands.
- Take a few deep breaths, then on the in-breath, raise your chest and tail bone to the celling, lifting your head as you do.
- This is called cow pose – hold this pose for a moment then as you exhale, come back to tabletop. Repeat up to 20 times.
2. Knee to chest stretch
The knee to chest stretch is commonly used by people with lower back pain as it helps to ease pressure on spinal nerves without putting too much strain on your back. What’s more, it can also help with digestion!
- Lie flat on your back, using a mat or pillow to stay comfortable.
- Stretch your legs out and keep your hips straight.
- Slowly lift your right leg and pull your leg up towards your chest as far as you comfortably can.
- As you pull, you may feel tension in your back, so don’t push too hard.
- Hold it there for 10 seconds, taking deep breaths as you do, then slowly bring it back to the floor. Do the same with your left leg.
- Repeat up to five times on each leg.
3. Pelvic tilt
This simple exercise will help strengthen your core and abdominal muscles and help keep your spine aligned in a neutral position.
- Lie flat on your back on a mat or cushion.
- Bend your legs with your feet facing straight ahead and place your arms by your side to support you.
- Push your belly button back towards your spine, so your pelvis lifts up gently – you should feel your lower back stretch as you do.
- Repeat this action up to 20 times in each repetition.
4. Seated spinal twist
This slightly more strenuous exercise does require a level of flexibility, but the rotating movement will help promote mobility in your spine – especially if you’ve spent all day sitting at a desk.
- Sit down on your mat with legs out in front of you.
- Bend your right leg, and gently pull it towards you, crossing your foot over your left knee, placing your right foot on the floor.
- Bend your left leg, pulling it back towards your bottom, keeping your other foot planted on the floor – keep your hips straight.
- Place your right arm on the ground and gently twist your body, taking deep breaths.
- Raise your left arm then bring it down to rest on your right knee.
- As you breathe out, push into the pose, twisting further.
- Repeat with your left leg.
5. Hamstring chair stretch
Tension in your hamstrings can actually be a big contributor to lower back pain. This low impact, seated stretch can help stretch your hamstrings and relieve lower back pain as a result.
- Take two hard back chairs, dinner table chairs will do just fine.
- Sit down on the first, placing the second in front of you.
- Lift your right leg, placing your foot onto the chair ahead of you.
- Stretch your arms towards your toes, as far as it is comfortable.
- Repeat with your left leg.
While acute back pain may get better over time, living with chronic back pain means managing your condition every day. Using potentially addictive painkillers can help in the short term, but there are more natural pain relief methods out there to support you alongside regular exercise. BioWaveGO, our patented non-invasive pain relief device is a safer, clinically proven solution to your lower back pain.
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