Often referred to as century sickness, back pain can be prevented by performing stretching exercises, which strengthen the back muscles and correct their position to stay flexible for a long time. How to go about it, which exercises to favor?
To prevent back pain, it only takes a few minutes of stretching each day to gain flexibility and above all to tone up and build your back. And then, you can say goodbye to back pain … These stretches are also strongly recommended after a sports session.
What exercise to relieve back pain?
If you don't have the time to go to a gym to maintain your body and avoid the pain inherent in a relatively sedentary lifestyle, here is good news: you can strengthen your back muscles and relieve your stiffness in you!
To fight against sciatica for example, which can cause pain from the foot to the top of the buttocks:
- Lie on your back, legs bent and feet flat. The shoulders should touch the ground throughout the exercise.
- Place the left foot on the right kneecap.
- Slide your hands below the right knee and pull your right leg toward your torso. Hold 20 seconds. You should feel it pull in your buttocks.
- Then proceed on the other side, put the right foot on the left kneecap. Slide your hands under your left knee and pull your left leg toward your chest. Hold the position for 20 seconds.
This lower back exercise helps prevent pain related to pinching the sciatic nerve.
How to stretch to reduce stiffness in the back?
This lumbar stretching exercise helps relieve low back pain. A study by the INRS (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) establishes that more than two thirds of employees have suffered from it, are suffering from it or will suffer from it during their lifetime.
- Get on all fours on a mat thick enough so you don't feel pain in the kneecaps (or fold your mat under your knees).
- Take a long breath.
- When exhaling, sit on the soles of your feet, bringing your shoulders as close as possible to the ground.
- Keep this position for a few seconds. If this seems difficult, you can move your knees slightly apart to gain more comfort in your stomach.
- Then lie on your back.
- Bring your two legs to your chest and keep your knees against you, hugging them with your arms and making your back round. You can even roll slightly from right to left for a massaging effect on the backbones.
What stretching of the back in the morning to relax your body?
Swimming is often cited as one of the best activities for the back because water carries the body and allows you to relax perfectly. To avoid making false movements, opt for a swim on the back.
However, when you work, you have children, you have to deal with long trips to get to the office, it is not necessarily easy to have an hour in the pool in the middle of your job time. So, to still succeed in performing back stretching every morning, set your alarm clock 5 minutes earlier, drink a large glass of water to rehydrate yourself and avoid aches, put on a bra, shorts and go!
What lumbar stretch to release tension during the day?
Doing back stretching in the morning before going to work is good. Being able to prevent pain while enjoying a break is even better!
If you have the possibility of being quiet in your office or if you benefit from a break room, do this back stretching to release the tensions in the lumbar muscles and trapezius muscles:
- Unroll your gym mat perpendicular to a chair.
- Lie on your mat, and put your legs on the seat of the chair.
- Keep this position for 10 minutes to a quarter of an hour. Your body will be more relaxed after this break, which requires no effort!
What to do to avoid lower back pain in the lower back?
If you go to a gym, your coach or trainer should have told you about the benefits of stretching after a non-violent effort. However, after an intense session, it is advisable to stretch away from the session, a few hours later or the next day.
Here is a simple exercise to perform:
- Stand back against the wall bars.
- Move forward and bend your knees to reach a "sitting" position – although you don't have a seat! – while keeping the column straight.
- Hang your hands on one of the high bars of the wall bar so that your arms are stretched in suspension.
- Stay suspended for as long as possible, without straining or feeling pain. Breathe slowly and deeply. Be sure to glue the basin against the wall bar and not arch.
It is better to choose a low bar and maintain this "sitting" position rather than hanging from a bar higher than yourself. Indeed, by jumping when letting go of the bar in height, you risk pinching a disc on your spine. Sweetness is always in order!
What exercise to strengthen the back muscles?
This back stretch allows you to relax and stretch without putting all your weight on the spine. It is particularly suitable for building the back and softening the shoulders:
- Get on all fours on a mat thick enough to avoid knee pain. Your hands should be flat under your shoulders, your arms are outstretched. The knees are at pelvis level, not further apart. Your toes are facing carpet.
- Take a deep breath in this neutral posture.
- Then make the round back by returning the belly, by contracting the abdominal muscles, by exhaling a long time. Tuck your head in.
- Hold for a count of 5.
- Go back hollow pushing back on your hands and bringing your shoulder blades: drop your spine, relax the abdominal muscles and breathe in looking up.
- Do not move, take a deep breath and count to 5 again.
- Repeat these two positions a dozen times.
In yoga, these two postures are called the cow and the cat, and it is advisable to respect the alternation expiration-round back / inspiration – hollow back to stretch the back. Be careful not to force.
How to stretch your back to build muscle?
- Lie flat on your stomach on your mat. Relax all of your muscles.
- Go cross your fingers, palm against palm at the back of the back, arms outstretched.
- Push down on your pubic bone by contracting your abs, lifting your legs and torso as much as possible – but do not feel pain. Your legs should remain tight and sheathed, just like your belly.
- Hold this position for 3 seconds the first few times. As you gain muscle and relax, you can hold the position longer, up to 20 seconds.
What lumbar exercise to strengthen the pelvis?
This activity allows you to build muscle, by contracting them, several areas of your body: not only the lower back, but also the glutes and abdominals. Ideal therefore to have a Madonna's body! And the best thing is that this stretch does not require much effort. To achieve this:
- Lie on your back on a comfortable mat.
- Bend your legs so that the angle inside your knees is about 80 degrees – it's not an exact science, the main thing is to have your legs folded and your back flat against the mat.
- Dig the back by successively contracting the abs, glutes and lower back: your shoulders and buttocks continue to touch the ground, but your lower back is no longer stuck to the mat. Keep this position and count to 5.
- Press your back against the mat by pushing on your abs, buttocks and lower back: you should be one with the floor. Keep this position and there too, count to 5.
- Alternate these two positions about twenty times.
After the effort, comfort! Once you've made all of your efforts to stretch and build your back, give yourself a small reward rich in magnesium, a trace element ideal for fighting muscle contractures. For that, you are spoiled for choice: dark chocolate, bananas, almonds or all three if you have a craving! These three foods are recommended for athletes because they are stimulating and relaxing. So why deprive yourself of it?