Back Pain Help
If you are experiencing back pain, whether it be acute or chronic, there are some steps you can take to help manage your symptoms. This is the second blogpost about back pain which gives you more education about back pain, stretches, exercises and strategies to help you take control of caring for your back. The first blog, 4 Ways to Help Your Aching Back , gets you started with easy, initial exercises and methods to reduce your back pain. The following exercises are a progression of the first set of exercises. (If you are still experiencing severe, acute pain then you may want to seek consultation from a physical therapist and or physician.)
Understanding your pain and symptoms: If your pain is mostly in the muscles of the back and made better or worse by changes in position then most likely you have a muscle strain with subsequent inflammation, spasms with some nerve irritation from the spasms. This causes muscle imbalance and can lead to chronic inflammation and muscle irritation. Ice and stretching can tremendously help. If your pain is more of a burning sensation that radiates across your back or down the leg then you might also have nerve impingement and inflammation. This can originate from the nerve root being pinched by misalignment of the vertebra or a disc that has moved out of place or herniated. The following are the progressive exercises to further manage your symptoms and return to more daily functional activities, work activities and sports.
Exercises: (all should be performed in a comfortable range, if any causes increase in pain then stop)
Extension to help a disc move away from the nerve roots. Sit or stand with upright spinal posture and lean upper body back slightly to extend the spine, hold 1-2 seconds, repeat 10-20 times.
2.
Prone Extension (if your pain is relieved by back extension): lie on stomach (with pillow under pelvis if needed for comfort) and press up onto elbows, hold 10-20 sec. and repeat 5 times.
3. Hip Flexor and Quad Stretch (to stretch the muscles on the front side of the pelvis which affects the spine): lie on stomach with pillow under pelvis if needed and pull the foot towards buttocks (can use a towel to 
as
sist or have someone help if needed), hold 60 sec. or longer, repeat 2-3 times each side.
4. Piriformis Stretch: lie on back and pull one knee in and across towards opposite shoulder to stretch the deep piriformis hip 
muscle which the sciatic nerve runs through. Hold 60 sec.or longer, repeat 2-3 times each side.
5. Dynamic Lumbar Stabilization (to strengthen the core trunk muscles to support your spine): lie on your back with 
knees bent and feet flat on surface. Perform a Pelvic Tilt (tighten abdominal muscles and press low back into surface) hold this position while slowly extending the left leg and right arm, hold 5-10 seconds then switch sides while keeping abs tight, repeat 10-20 times.
6. 
Calf Stretch: Stand with hands on wall for support, both feet pointing towards the wall, step back with one leg, knee straight, heel down and hold stretch 60 sec. or longer, repeat 2-3x each side.
Keep Checking in with us for more information on ways to work on other areas of concern and strategies to improve your health and attain a better you!!