Did you know that back pain is the most commonly reported type of pain and a leading cause of disability in the U.S.?It's also one of the most common causes for taking time off work and for visits to doctors' offices. In fact, estimates suggest that approximately 80 percent of adults will suffer from back pain in their lifetime and a minimum of $50 billion is spent each year in direct healthcare costs to treat it.
When I get clients suffering from back pain,I can almost feel their discomfort, especially when I watch them move and walk — or even climb onto my massage table. While I offer focused massage to alleviate back pain, massage is only part an overall approach to back pain therapy. The rest? Apart from the use of deep tissue massage, sports therapy, heating and icing (and pharmaceuticals), stretching and exercising are what back pain sufferers can do on their own that has the capacity to offer a degree of relief.
As long as your doctor says it’s okay, try using these protocols:
Lie on your back with your knees bent. Raise your hips until your body is straight. Then hold this for 3-5 seconds, feeling your back muscles switching on. Repeat this 10 times, but do two to sets.
Stay on your back, placing all your muscles on the floor. Position your feet on a chair and perform crunches. It’s important to tense your abs at the end for at least two seconds. Repeat this 15 times, and do three sets.
Do you plank? No? You do now! Lie face-down with your elbows bent at 90% with your toes facing downward. Again, tighten up your abs. Raise your hips off the floor and hold this for 20-30 seconds. Repeat it 5 times.
Back extensions are great! Lie on your stomach with your hands by the side of your head and feet on the ground. Raise your shoulders and upper back off the floor, hold this for 5 seconds. Repeat it 15 times and do all this twice.
Now get on all fours and tighten up your ab muscles. Then raise the opposite arm and leg (right arm, left leg) and hold for two seconds to allow muscles to engage. Then switch to the opposite side. Do this 15 times on each side, performing two sets.
If you need any assistance with these stretches/exercises, please let me know. I want to make sure that you understand how to do them correctly.