Is Your Job Killing Your Back?

If you’ve ever suffered from back pain (while exercising or otherwise), the problem most likely has nothing to do with your back.

Let me explain...

In today’s world, our bodies are constantly contorted into positions that are abnormal for us. Whether it’s working at your desk for 8... 9... 10 hours a day, commuting to work or relaxing and watching television, your body isn’t meant to stay in the “sitting” position for very long.

What’s the result? Your body becomes misaligned… specifically your hips.

After a prolonged period of time, your hips start to pull on the tendons and ligaments that connect it to your back. And this pulling is what causes the sharp or dull back pain an alarming majority of Americans suffer from.

If you were to go to a regular doctor, you’d probably be told to do some stretches to “fix” your back (or even worse - pop some pills!).

But there’s a problem with this solution.

Most of these stretches are designed to loosen your joints. And the key factor that these doctors don’t know about is that you don’t want loose joints. You want them to be tight. Tight joints mean stable and strong joints. And help prevent injury in the first place.

That’s why I recommend the following stretches to my clients. It helps realign your hips to relieve stress on your back, but also works to help keep your joints nice and tight to help avoid injury in the future.

Here are some stretches from my friends over at the Healthy Back Institute that you'll want to perform daily to avoid back pain:

1. Shoulder Stretch: You need to stretch and develop these muscles because they are very susceptible to injury. And tight shoulder muscles contribute to back and neck pain, especially if your head and shoulders droop forward.

How To: Stand in an open doorway. Raising your arm to a 90-degree angle with palm facing out, press your hand and shoulder against the wall and doorjamb. You should feel the wall against your armpit. Slowly increase the tension as you push forward. Hold for a 10 count. Then repeat with the other arm.

2. Hip Flexors: You need to do this stretch, particularly if you sit all day at work. Sitting all day puts pressure on the hip flexor muscles. This is a major cause of minor lower back pain. Stretching your hip flexors muscles several times a week will prevent this kind of lower back pain.

How To: Stand in a modified runner stance, with right foot forward and left foot back, feet flat on floor. Put your hands on your hips and keep your back and hips in straight alignment. Push forward with your hips, while maintaining your erect posture. Slowly, push your hips forward only until you feel a comfortable level of tension. Hold for a 10 count. Switch sides by reversing your leg stance and repeat.

Give these a try. They have helped me a lot. Start off every other day and go from there. Consistency’s the key.

There are other steps you can take to overcome back pain and stiffness naturally, too.

In fact, Jesse Cannone – a top fitness trainer and co-founder of the Healthy Back Institute – has written a book called The 7-Day Back Pain Cure. It shows you how to get to the root of back pain problems and fix them without drugs, injections, or surgery. It also suggests numerous measures you can take to prevent back pain in the future.

It's not an eBook or anything like that... it's a real book and it's for sale on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble, but don't go buy it because if you go to his website right now you can get a free copy. You just pay a small shipping fee...

But it gets even better... a portion of your shipping fee is donated to one of two great charities: Habitat for Humanity or Kiva.org - you choose.

Get your free copy of this best-selling book here.   

Exercise Back Pain Away

According to past research and studies, nearly 80% of all Americans will experience some type of back pain in their lives.  The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons believes this as well, as they say 80% of us will encounter some type of problem with our back before we die.

Image via WikipediaTraditionally, the treatment for lower back pain is increasing core strength to increase flexibility on muscles that are tight, which will provide better stabilization of the spine and exercises to correct the imbalances of the muscles.  The muscles that surround the spine will provide stability and support of the spinal column.

Every muscle between the hips and shoulders are included as well, as these muscles are referred to as the core muscles.  Back pain can be a result of muscle imbalances caused by any of these core muscles.  If the back of your thighs are weaker than the front of your thighs, there will be an uneven pull on the front of your spinal column. 

There are some effective ways that you can integrate core strength training exercises into all of the exercises you perform, rather than doing just the traditional crunches and sit-ups (which are very hard on your back).  One such way is by breathing effectively.  Deep breathing will utilize your diaphragm muscles which will help support the spinal column and lengthen the spine, which is great for your lower back and supporting you when you walk or run.

The tummy tuck and bridge lift can also help you to reduce back pain and strengthen the core muscles as well.  The tummy tuck exercise is a simple pelvic tilt that draws the abdominal muscles away from the floor.  Do perform a tummy tuck, simply lie face down on the floor and squeeze your glutes to strengthen your spine.

Instead of pressing into your thighs, you should instead think of reaching your tailbone down towards your heels.  Perform 15 reps of each exercise and alternate them until you have completed a couple of sets. 

For the bridge, place your feet on a bench or on the floor and scoop your pelvis upward, as your rib cage should stay low to reduce any irritation to your spinal muscles.  The bridge will help to relieve stress on your back and focus the muscle contractions into the glutes and the hamstrings.

Other exercises for lower back pain are the lumbar side stretch, hip flexor stretch, and calf stretches, as all three can help to alleviate pull on your spinal column.

Hip flexor stretch (one of my favorite stretches ever!)
When doing a hip flexor stretch, bring one foot forward in a bent knee, 90 degree angle, while your other leg is on the floor behind you with the sole toward the ceiling.  The hip flexor stretch will help to open up the muscles of your back on the side of the spine near your hips.  You can also squeeze your glutes and press your hips forward (while keeping your back straight, hands on your front thigh) as well to deepen the stretch with each breath you exhale.  You should begin to feel a stretch in your back leg, in the thigh front and the hamstrings on your front leg. Hold for 1 minute on each side.

Lumbar side stretch
For this stretch keep your legs wide with your knees bent while you sit or stand.  Simply bring one hand down towards your foot on the inside of the thighs and your other hand behind your head.

Calf stretch
The last stretch will open up your Achilles tendon, which is the most distant pull on the spine.  For this, place an object under your foot and lean the weight of your body forwards.  Maintain a fluid breath while you hold stretches for 30 seconds or so.  After a while, you should begin to feel a stretch behind your knee and shin.

Click here for more info and a free video on relieving back pain.