Mobility for Back Pain
Ever have one of those days where your lower back back feels totally wrecked? About half of all working Americans report back pain every year, and up to 80% of all people will experience the joy of hating their life due to pain in the low back [1]. It’s a big deal.
Over the years, I have met hundreds of people who have told me that their back pain was one of the biggest reasons for not exercising when they actually wanted to be!
One of the biggest drivers in the opioid crisis is pain management and consumer reliance on pharmaceuticals [2]. Yes, you can take a pill and your pain is gone, but then what happens a few hours from now? With drug addiction and overdoses on the rise, limiting pain medications can be a wise choice.
People looking for a more natural approach use acupuncture, dry needling, cupping and chiropractic, which can be a godsend. But what if there were something you could do right away at home with zero equipment? There is! Think about it as a complement to these therapies rather than having to just pick one.
These four moves help mobilize the spine and loosen the hips, both of which are key to getting the back feeling better. These moves are an example of some of the mobility and flexibility exercises that Omnifunction movement programs use.
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McKenzie Press-up
This one is a favorite of Physical therapists, and can help decompress the spine using unloaded lumbar extension as a way to create receive pressure on the gel-like discs that act like shock absorbers in the spine.
Start on your belly and place your hands below your shoulder or slightly out in front. Keep your abdominal muscles relaxed as you use the arms to peel yourself up. Let yourself down and repeat for a total of 10 reps.
Lumbar Rock
This one helps get the lower back loosened up by taking it from neutral into flexion to improve range-of-motion.
Start with your hands under your shoulders and a straight line through the body from your head to your knees. From here, exhale and shift the hips back as far as you are comfortable with. Inhale and return to the starting position. Move with your breath and do 10 reps.
Hip flexor stretch
Tight hip flexor muscles are a root cause of a lot of people’s back pain. It’s a sad fact that we all sit too much. Sitting shortens the hip flexor muscle, so stretching it back out is a must.
Start this stretch in a half-kneeling position. Try to tuck your tailbone under while pulling your back leg forward and trying to pull the front foot back. Keep the abs solid, and make sure your lower back doesn’t arch - Try to channel your inner Steve Urkel. Basically, try to do whatever the opposite of sticking your butt out is. Hold here, or if you want to feel more, raise the arm up on the side you are stretching (that would be the back leg, if you’re wondering).
Sciatic Nerve Glide.
There’s a nerve that goes through a small channel in your spine, and it can get a little caught sometimes. Also, tight hamstrings are very often a big contributor to someone’s back pain. This dynamic stretch and nerve glide can really help.
Lie on your back and interlace your fingers behind one knee. You can have the bottom leg bent to start out with, and then progress to a straight bottom leg when you feel ready. If you have mobility restrictions, use a strap or a towel to help you reach. Keep the arms completely straight, flex the top of the foot toward the front of the shin and start to straighten the top leg. Go only until you feel a stretch and then relax the leg. Repeat 15 times per leg.
If you notice pain higher than 2/10 (with 10 being excruciating), stop the exercise immediately.
Try these a few times a week, or whenever you feel like your back could use a tune up! Sometimes it’s about having the right tools in the toolbox. Got a movement or mobility problem? Hit us up to schedule a free session to tell me what’s going on and find out the right program looks like.