Happy Tuesday, Warrior! Something that many of us will deal with during the course of our lives is low back pain. Chronic low back pain can cause disruptions in day to day decisions, which can lead to Mental, Emotional, and Social Health implications. If you are one of the millions who suffer, I’ve got you covered.
Looking at the statistics, about one third of Americans over the age of 18 report experiencing low back pain. That number drops to under 10% when accounting for a world wide population. Acute back pain is usually linked to a specific incident that caused injury to the muscles or inter vertebral discs. But while chronic pain can stem from these injuries, that isn’t always the case.
Despite its prevalence (at least in the US), the mechanisms of occurrence are not well understood. Many link it to muscle imbalances that occur from extended periods of sitting. What we do know, though, is that regular movement that includes both stretching and strengthening for the core musculature can have huge positive impacts on the severity of symptoms.
Muscles of the core are not just our abdominals. By definition, any muscle can be considered a core muscle as long as it crosses over into the trunk or abdominal region of the body. From a low back perspective, that means we need to pay attention to muscles in the lower back (of course), but also the abdominals, hip flexors and extensors, and muscles in the upper torso and back.
Anyone who has seen a physical therapist for low back pain has been given a list of strengthening exercises. And PTs are pretty good at what they do. These exercises usually comprise a fairly comprehensive, if low intensity, strengthening regime for the appropriate muscles. What often lacks, though, is the stretching component.
See, the vertebral column not only has to support 99.99% of motion in the body, but it also has to protect the spinal cord. Which means the vertebral column not only needs to be strong, but it needs to be mobile. If any of the muscles that influence function at the lower back are tight or stiff, movement is going to be more difficult.
The good news is that stretching does not need to be complicated, involved, or time consuming. Ten to fifteen minutes several times per week is usually plenty to get the job done. And you shouldn’t need to contort yourself into a pretzel or get on the floor if you don’t want to.
So this week, I’ve got this fifteen minute standing yoga routine for your lower back. These poses all have many variations should you need them. And the postures will target all of the major muscles affecting the low back region.
