By
on Monday, April 27th, 2009 |
No CommentsSitting at a desk makes it harder to get exercise naturally.
Try sitting at the edge of the chair, rather than leaning into the back of the chair, that will strengthen the paraspinal muscles on either side of the spine.
The stronger the paraspinal muscles, the straighter your back and the less pain.
For your shoulders, try this in the shower with the warm water flowing onto your shoulders and down your back.
First, tuck the pelvis. You can cue this for yourself by putting on hand on your abdomen and the other on your lower back. Then, push the hand on your abdomen back so that your lower back flattens.
This is what we do in Standing Pelvic Tilt
Next, reach your hands up onto the shower wall, palms flat on the wall. And lean towards the wall a little. You will feel a nice stretch in the upper back and shoulders.
All the while keeping your lower back flat and your pelvis tucked. This protects your lower back.
Try it, you’ll like it.
By
on Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 |
No CommentsOften, when our lower back hurts, the real problem is in the mid to upper back. The upper back, right behind your chest, is the hardest part of the spine to make mobile. The neck is easy to maneuver and the lower back is where we take a lot of bends, though we shouldn’t. So here are two exercises to loosen up the shoulders and upper back.
Here’s something that you can do right now at your desk to stretch out the shoulders and upper back.
It feels really good to do.
Clasp your hands together behind your back and lean far enough forward to place your hands on the back of your chair.
Now straighten up as much as you can, keeping your arms as straight as possible.
Breathe slowly. When I do this, I get a warm feeling flowing into my shoulders. It feels very good.
Try it.
Now, to stretch out the upper back and get a lot of the benefits of Reverse Triangle right at your desk, twist to the right holding the back of your chair and looking over your right shoulder keeping as much of your lower trunk facing forward as possible.
Hold there for a few breaths.
Now twist to the left looking over your left shoulder. Hold and breathe.
This twists the verterbrae of the mid back squeezing out the pads between the verterbrae, then when you come out of the twist, fresh intervertebral fluid flows in plumping up the disks that act as shock absorbers for the spine.
