Chronic back problems and frequent back pain is just too common in modern lifestyles. If you work in office or spend a lot of time behind the steering wheel then you are likely to be suffering with some sort of discomfort in the lower back. To action these problems have a look at the 7 ways you can rid yourself of those niggles for the rest of your life:
No matter how much you workout in a gym or attend classes do you still have those niggling back pains that keep you from achieving your goals and frequently visiting your therapist?
Approximately 75% of the population suffer with chronic back problems or have had back pain in their lifetime!
Here's the solution to your back pain with 7 simple changes you can make!
1. Assess your ankle mobility - by putting your toe against the wall and without lifting your heel of the ground push your knee against the wall. If you feel a stretch in the back of your lower leg (calf muscle) then work on flexibility in that muscle. If you feel it's trapped in front of the ankle then you have a mobility issue. You can increase mobility using this simple wall exercise and with improvement you should be able to take your foot further away from the wall and still get your knee to touch without lifting the heel.
2. Hip Alignment - this happens because of improper or asymmetrical movement. If you have a flat back (often due to high heels) it could mean, in basic terms, that you have tight hamstrings pulling your hips downward causing your back to flatten too much, in this case work on flexibility of the hamstrings.
3. Tight Hip Flexors - from sitting for too many hours you could have tight hip flexors on the front of your hip which could pull your hips down at the front causing excessive curvature of the lower spine (hyperlordosis) again work on stretching of the hip flexors and quads and strengthen the muscles at the back of leg (hamstrings).
4. Activate those Glutes - Strong glutes form the powerhouse of human movement and maintain a healthy spine. Work on exercises like bridging, squats, lunges and deadlifts etc!
5. Postural Awareness - especially those who have office jobs or drive long distances. Subtle prompts can help to stop slouching like off setting the inside mirror of the car which encourages you to sit up straight to view the rear properly. Setting up ergonomics at your office workstation to use both sides equally and view your monitor without slouching.
6. Stabilize the Spine - Practice core strength exercises that focus on stabilizing the spine e.g keeping the spine still whilst moving your extremities, like the deadbug exercise and the plank, you could challenge yourself by setting the clock to see how long you can do the plank for and work on improving your time!
7. Stay well Hydrated - water along side a good nutritional plan can surprisingly help. Being dehydrated takes water away from the spine to use in other areas of the body. Aim for around 2 litres per day.
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