Dancing Elephants Press Book Project Prompt #4
4 Easy Exercises To Improve Posture and Prevent Back Pain
DEP Book Project Exercise/Healthy Eating Tips Prompt — Editor
At some point or other in our lives, most of us experience back pain. While the cause for a majority of us can be upper or lower back pain during the course of day-to-day life, it can also be triggered by an accident, a sports-related injury, or a congenital condition.
Also, if you happen to work at a computer, or lift and carry weights or do repetitive activities at home or work, it can cause tension and muscle tightness leading to a backache.
Backache can be really miserable to live with. Most people tend to ignore it because they are too busy, until it becomes unbearable and demands attention. And by that time, that tube of pain balm or a couple of painkillers just don’t help. Rather than allow it to progress to that stage, why not deal with it right away and prevent back pain?
The role of exercise in relieving back pain
Exercise plays a central role in building the muscles that support the back and helps prevent back pain. Studies have been conducted to investigate physical therapy approaches in the treatment of low back pain.
Some exercises that may help reduce or prevent low back pain include:
Aerobic exercises
Aerobic exercises such as walking, swimming, or walking in waist-deep water help you maintain a healthy back. Aerobic exercise conditions your heart and other muscles, maintains health, and speeds up recovery and makes your heart and other muscles use oxygen more efficiently. Muscles that frequently receive oxygen-rich blood stay healthier.
Stretching and strengthening exercises
Stretching and strengthening your stomach, back, and leg muscles helps make them less susceptible to injury that can cause back pain. Strong stomach, back, and leg muscles also better support your spine, reducing pressure on your spinal discs. This may help prevent disc injury.
Can exercise make back pain worse?
Yes. Some exercises can aggravate back pain. If you have low back pain, you must avoid:
- Straight leg sit-ups.
- Bent leg sit-ups or partial sit-ups (curl-ups) when you have acute back pain.
- Leg lifts: Lifting both legs while lying on your back.
- Lifting heavy weights above the waist (standing military press or bicep curls).
- Toe touches while standing.
Also, keep the following things in mind when you exercise with back pain.
1. Avoid pushing yourself
2. If it really hurts, don’t ignore it
3. That pain may indicate injury
4. Exercise slowly and stick to your comfort zone
5. It is normal to feel some soreness when you start exercising. But sharp stabs of pain are not normal. See your doc immediately
6. Find out the right way to exercise and breathe properly
7. Stretch after your muscles are warmed up. You can warm up by walking, enjoying a warm shower/bath, or with gentle movements.
Always consult your doctor before you start an exercise regimen.
Improving posture to prevent back pain
The good news is, that working on improving posture is a simple solution to prevent back pain. Of course, along with this, it is also important to work on overall fitness and healthy weight. But improving posture can really help.
What is posture?
Posture is the way we hold our body when we stand, sit or do tasks such as lifting, bending, pulling, etc. With good posture, the bones of the spine, the vertebrae, are properly aligned.
4 easy ways to improve posture to prevent back pain
Here are four easy ways to do this.
1. Using imagery
Now imagine there’s a straight line passing through your body from the ceiling to the floor. Your ears, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles must be even and line up vertically. Next, visualize a strong cord attached to the top of your head. This is pulling you upward as if stretching you to make you taller.
Keep your pelvis level. Don’t let your lower back sway. Don’t stand on tiptoe. Imagine stretching your head towards the ceiling, increasing the space between your rib cage and pelvis. Go ahead and fantasize being a ballerina or ice skater. Do this mini exercise whenever you can.
2. Doing the shoulder blade squeeze
Sit up straight in your chair, hands resting on thighs. Keep shoulders down and chin, level. Now slow draw your shoulders back and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Count from 1 to 5, holding this position. Then relax. Repeat 3–4 times.
3. Upper-body stretch
Stand facing a corner, arms raised, hands flat on the walls with elbows at shoulder height. Place one foot ahead of the other. Bending your forward knee, exhale, leaning your body towards the corner. Your back should be straight. Keep chest and head up. As you do this exercise, you’ll feel a nice stretch across the chest. Hold the position for 30 seconds, then relax.
4. Arm across chest stretch
Raise your right arm to shoulder level in front of you. Bend the arm at the elbow with the forearm parallel to the floor. Grab the right elbow with your left hand. Gently pull it across your chest. You will feel a stretch in the right upper arm and shoulder. Hold this for 20 seconds. Relax both arms. Repeat this on the other side. Do it three times on each side.
You can practice these exercises throughout the day to prevent back pain and improve your posture. Do them when you get up from your desk or before you have lunch or when you take a break. Get into the habit. As your posture improves, so will your back pain.
Takeaways:
Exercise helps with back pain. But do bear in mind that you should consult your doctor before beginning any exercise regimen.
Improving your posture can also relieve back pain via using imagery and stretching.
When you feel a backache coming on, take action rather than wait until it becomes unbearable.
Reference links1. Physical Therapy Approaches in the Treatment of Low Back Pain https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6251828/2. Low back pain — why exercise helps https://yourmedguide.com//2010/06/low-back-pain-why-exercise-helps.html3. Exercise as a treatment for chronic low back pain https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14749199/
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