Back Stretches

Pain on the lower back can be caused by a number of factors. It could be a muscle strain, a ligament sprain, a “slipped disk” or joint problems. Lower back pain is commonly experienced after exerting more effort than your back is used to, such as lifting heavy furniture, bending over for extended periods when gardening, or twisting your back. Many people are under the impression that when you hurt your back, it is important that you lie in bed or restrict movement. Orthopedic experts say that doing so will only impede the healing process and recommend doing simple lower back pain stretches instead. These exercises help lessen the pain, and strengthen and re-align the spine.

The easiest lower back stretching exercise is the cat stretch, or the cat arch. It is performed by being on all fours (on hands and knees), then arching the back gently, one direction at a time. It is done with coordinated breathing – in, while the belly is expanded and the back is arching downward, and out, when the chin moves to the chest, and the back arches upward. It is simple, comforting and can be very relaxing.

Here are a few reminders when stretching your back. Your clothes must be comfortable and allow stretching. It is also especially important to warm-up before doing any stretches. Warm up could be as simple as walking or marching in place. Stretching should not cause pain – do not force yourself to stretch if you feel any resistance, as this may result in torn ligaments, or worse, displaced disks (slipped disk). When stretching, hold the stretched position in place for 20 seconds to allow the muscles to expand. Finally, revert to pre-stretched position slowly. Abrupt changes will only tear muscles, causing more pain.

These lower back pain stretches can be done anytime of the day when one feels strain on the lower back muscles. Regular stretching helps a person become more limber, less stiff, and lessens the possibility of back pain recurrences. Recent researches have also discovered that it is possible to grow one to two inch taller with regular back exercises!

I found the solution for my lower back pain and I was stunned at how easy (and fun) it turned out to be! In fact, I do this several times a day and I feel so much younger when I am finished. I tried other methods and all of the drugs, but who wants to be on medication for the rest of their life?

If you want to try my method, it is better explained here: lower back pain stretches.

Try these three extremely effective and quick exercises to decrease your middle and upper back pain. Better yet, you can do them at home, and it just takes a few minutes.

Almost everyone has back pain at some point. If you constantly bend and twist, you are constantly at risk of hurting your back. Therefore, if you do have to bend or twist, make sure you’re doing so properly. You should also be aware that there are lots of different kinds of exercises that you can do so that if you do have back pain, you can get rid of it. When you do these exercises, you should feel better very quickly. However, do go see your doctor if you have severe pain, and don’t do these exercises until your doctor says it’s fine.

The first exercise that can help you with your middle or upper back pain involves your hamstrings. Hamstring stretches actually do help your back, even though that might not make sense. Why? Because everything in your body is connected to something else, and if you have tight hamstrings, this can make you have a tight back, too. And if a tight back is allowed to continue, you could eventually have back pain because of it. So, stretch your hamstrings by standing up, bending your knees just slightly, and then bending over to touch your toes. More than likely, you’re not going to be able to touch your toes, but if you try to do so every time you do this, you should see that you get farther every time you try.

Next, try this exercise for middle upper back pain, called the “cat stretch.” With this particular type of stretch, you stretch your back. Get on the floor, on all fours, and position your hands and knees as though you’re simply going to crawl. Keep your hands and knees in place, and then just lean back. Look at your dog or cat sometime when he or she stretches. This stretch should look like that for you. When you do this “cat stretch,” you’re stretching your back muscles. This will make your back less tight, which will alleviate pain.

You can also strengthen your back to alleviate back pain, and because of that, you should do some strengthening exercises, too. Most people injure their backs because their backs are either weak, tight, or both. Your lower back is usually going to give you the most problems. First, try doing something called the “Superman.” Lie flat on the floor, face down, and lift your back, stretching your legs and arms out behind you at the same time, and keeping them straight and “pulling back.” Hold this position for a few seconds, and then return to starting position. These and other exercises can most certainly help decrease middle and upper back pain.

These exercises are simple but very effective, and they can be beneficial right now. In no time, your middle or upper back pain could be a distant memory. Do these exercises to enjoy the quality of life you’ve been missing.

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One of the most effective methods for increasing your height(whether you are an adult or child) is through stretching. A lot of people think, how can stretching possibly help me grow taller? Stretching can help you get taller by making your muscles relax more which will help add space between each joint in your body. Over time, this will build up to increase your overall height by up to 4 inches in some cased. I think that a more reasonable amount of about 2 inches for anyone who puts in a decent amount of time and effort into their stretches each day.

Things that negatively effect your height

A lot of people are actually taller than they appear because of bad posture. Someone who looks 5′7″ might very well be 5′9″, but because of bad posture they are losing 2 inches of height. Developing good posture takes a lot of work, don’t be fooled. However, with constant thought and effort put into walking around fully upright, you can increase your height by inches within months.

Stretching Exercises – Lower Back

I have noticed that people have the most problems with their lower back regions. There are some stretches you can do that will not only increase your height, but help reduce back pain if you work on these each day.

Stretch 1: While standing with your legs roughly shoulder width apart, slowly bend down and try and touch your toes with your legs remaining straight. Go down until you are slightly uncomfortable and hold it for a minute or two. Come back up for break. After you are ready again, move your legs another inch closer together and repeat the same motion and hold just like above. You will notice that it gets harder to hold the stretch the closer your feet are together. Continue working on this stretch for 2 to 3 months to see good results. Eventually you want to be able to touch the ground when your legs are together. Then when you can touch the ground, you should next aim to make your palms touch the ground. Just remember this doesn’t happen over night and will take months before you can do this comfortably.

Good luck and keep working hard! And remember, Rome was not built in a day!

For more examples of stretches that can make you get taller, check out this free ebook by Chase Turlington. Learn how to increase your height by up to 4 inches.

For many people affected with sciatica only suffer from minor symptoms that can be very annoying. These symptoms include pain and weakness in the lower back and legs or a tingling sensation. Sciatica is usually brought on by other health complications, such as spinal stenosis or spondylolisthesis. Fortunately, conditions that cause sciatica symptoms are not that serious and do not require extensive treatment options.

Sciatica stretches are a great way to fight pain and leg weakness. Stretching can help build the flexibility and strength of the spine and legs. By building up the physical capacity of your body, you can better handle and prevent injuries and deficiencies in the body that would spur compression of the sciatic nerve, located deep in the buttocks region.

The first sciatic stretch that is good for pain relief is known as the seal stretch. Start by laying flat on your belly on the ground. With palms flat on the floor by your abdomen muscles, push your upper body up off the floor, arching your back as far as you can. You should be in a position similar to a seal balancing a ball on its nose.

Stretching is also good for dealing with piriformis syndrome, which is a series of spasms of the piriformis muscle. These spasms are caused by the tightening and overuse of the piriformis muscle, consequently putting pressure on the sciatic nerve. A good stretch for piriformis syndrome is to lay flat on your back with your knees slightly bent. Put your right leg over the left leg with your knees bent, and then slowly pull your left leg up with your hands. You should feel a stretch in your left buttocks. Do the same exercise for the right side by switching your legs.

There are many causes of sciatica, and there are also many treatment options as well. However, the best long term and cost effective treatment options are stretches for sciatica and physical therapy to alleviate back and leg pain.

If you are suffering from, a lower right side back pain, you should consider morning stretches to help alleviate the pain, especially if it is being caused by sciatic nerve damage. You can determine whether the pain is sciatica or sore muscles by the type pain you are feeling, as sore muscles feel just like an overworked muscle that tightens and begins to ache. Sciatica (sciatic nerve pain) on the other hand, is more of an electrical shock or, pins and needles type of pain.

Lower back pain due to overworked muscles can be eased by simply using a heating pad however, if the pain is sciatica the heat will only make it worse so, be sure you know what is causing the pain before applying heat. If the pain is concentrated in only the lower back, and again, is more of just an ache from tight, overworked muscles then, this is a symptom of a sprained or bruised muscle and can be treated as such.

If the lower right back pain you are feeling is like an electrical shock or debilitating like pins and needle type pain and it radiates downward through the buttocks and then runs down the back of the leg then, you are suffering from sciatica. Sciatica occurs when the sciatic nerve becomes pinched, which causes inflammation, inflammation causes swelling, which in turn places pressure on the nerve where it exits the spinal column, which is, what causes the severe pain you feel.

The pain can move from the right side to left side and back to the right side again unexpectedly or it can move and stay in the center of the low back area. Since there are several things that can damage the nerve, most of them associated with problems with the discs and vertebrae of the spinal cord, morning stretches can help to ease the pain by helping to keep the discs and vertebrae in alignment keeping the pressure off of the sciatic nerve.

The stretches that I am talking about are backward extension exercises developed by a physical therapist by the name of Robin McKenzie. When preformed properly they tend to centralize the pain close to the center of the lower back, in other words when properly preformed the pain in the legs and buttock moves and stays in the lower back. This is how you can tell the pressure on the sciatic nerve is being eased.

The stretching exercises should be preformed more than just once a day in the morning. They should be done whenever the pain begins to move from the back to the buttocks and legs. They should also be preformed when the pain first flares up as they can help ease the initial pain of flare ups. You should also use ice packs to help ease the pain, place ice wrapped in a cloth on the area of the pain for twenty minutes once every two hours for the first twenty-four to forty-eight hours.

Ice, in conjunction with preforming the stretching exercises twice a day should ease the pain but, once the pain is gone, if you continue with the stretches twice a day, you can keep the lower right back pain from returning so, consider morning stretches as well as evening stretches to keep your sciatica at bay.

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There are a number of factors that can cause pain in the lower back. Some of those factors might include a slipped disk, ligament sprain, muscle strain or even joint problems. Most lower back pain usually comes about after over exertion such as improperly lifting heavy loads like furniture, bending over for extended periods of time in the garden or rotating your spine in an awkward way.

Most people think that when they hurt their back it is best to just lay down, rest and not move at all. BUT this might actually slow your healing process according to some Orthopaedic professionals, who recommend doing simple lower back stretches instead. Before you begin stretching your back, here are a few reminders:

1. Clothes should be comfortable and be loose enough to allow the stretches to be performed without restriction.
2. Warming up your muscles is imperative and it could be as simple as going for a 5 minute walk or just walking in place.

3. You should not be feeling any sharp pain when stretching, NEVER force yourself to over extend as you can do damage to your ligaments, back muscles or even cause the your disk can be displaced.

4. Hold stretching positions NEVER bounce or do sudden movements AND ALWAYS return to the starting position SLOWLY.

5. Keep abdominal muscles tight throughout the routine.

Two simple back stretching exercises are the cat stretch (or cat arch) and the standing back extension. These stretches are great for back pain relief while at the same time strengthening and realigning the spine.

How To Do Cat Stretch

Begin on all fours (hands and knees). Arch back downwards to the floor slowly while breathing in and moving your chin to the ceiling. Next breathe out moving your chin towards the chest and arching the back upwards to the ceiling. Hold each position for 10 seconds and do 5-10 reps.

How To Do Standing Back Extension

Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart and hands at your sides. Gently bend your upper body backwards from the waist. Go as far back as you comfortably can while look up at the ceiling. Keep pose for a count of 10, then loosen up and slowly return to standing upright. Do 5 reps and gradually add stretches 2 at a time as this routine gets easier.

These back stretches can be done anytime you feel muscle pain in your lower back. Doing them often helps your core muscles to loosen up and prevents lower back pain from reoccurring.

Go here now for even MORE lower back stretches for back pain relief.

Does your back ache after a long day at work? If so, you aren’t alone in your misery. Back injuries account for 1 out of 5 workplace injuries, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While it is possible to injure your back by lifting incorrectly, carrying heavy boxes or turning the wrong way, more often back injuries develop slowly. The most common cause of a bad back is related to how the bones are aligned (your posture), which in turn directly affects the health of the ligaments, and muscle tone, promoting balanced strength and flexibility.

The following tips will help you improve your posture and decrease muscle fatigue to keep you on your feet and ready for dancing!

Tip #1

Stand in efficient alignment. From the side view, the middle of the ear should line up with the middle of the shoulder, hip, knee and ankle. The bones of the skeleton were designed to carry the weight of the body while the muscles create movement. In poor alignment the muscles are asked to overwork, resulting in fatigue and strain. Visualize your head and spine as a helium balloon tied with a string as you are standing and walking. Let it pull you into an upright position.

Tip #2

Stretch your iliopsoas muscle. The iliopsoas muscle is the major postural muscle and is commonly involved in back strain. It is the deepest lower back muscle connecting from the spine through the pelvis and attaching to the top of the thigh. It is commonly found to be overly tight in people with lower back problems. You can stretch this muscle through a standing or sitting lunge position as shown.

Tip #3

Breathe deeply. In cultures around the world the use of breath to reduce physiological stress is well documented. Deliberately taking a deep breath oxygenates your muscles and encourages you to release tension you may be holding around the shoulder girdle and rib cage.

Tip #4

Spine health includes rotation. The spine is composed of a series of small bones (vertebrae) that are stacked in gentle curves with discs between each vertebra that act as shock absorbers. This where spinal movement takes place. Most people spend way too much time in spinal flexion, as we slump in our chairs and slouch as we are standing. Periodically sit on the edge of your chair, weight even on both sides of the pelvis, and spine long. Rotate to one side and lightly hold the sides or back of the chair and gently encourage your spine to rotate easily as far as it can as you think of growing taller as you twist.

Tip #5

Stretch your calf muscles. The calf muscles are in a line of muscles connected by fascia that run from the bottom of your feet to the base of your head. Tension in any muscle group along the line will create strains upon the others. Conversely, releasing tension in one of the muscle groups will take stress off the whole line. It is easier to stretch your calf muscles in public than back muscles. One quick and easy way to stretch the calf is behind a counter. Place the ball of the foot on the bottom shelf of the counter (or against the wall). Allow the weight of the body to gently drop through the heel. Do this on each leg keeping the knee straight, and also barely bending the knee, which drops the focus of the stretch closer to the Achilles tendon.

Tip #6

Drink plenty of water. The benefits of staying hydrated through drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day are well known. Water is essential for digestion and absorption of nutrients, and helps keep your skin supple. When the body is in need of liquid to keep essential organs, such as your heart and lungs, running smoothly, it will draw it from all less essential areas, such as your discs and joints. Back strain has been lessened in some cases by simply increasing the amount of water taken in, and decreasing dehydrating beverages such as coffee and caffeinated sodas.

Tip #7

Strengthen your upper back. The area between the shoulder blades is where most people slump. Wake this area up by clasping your hands behind your back and lifting them 2-3 inches away from your body without lifting your shoulders. You will feel the muscle contract between the shoulder blades. Now release your hands but maintain the length of the upper back.

Tip #8

Stretch your upper back. Stretching the upper back will decrease muscle strain and increase mobility. Start by sitting comfortably on the front of a chair. Let your head drop to the side, bringing your ear closer to your shoulder without lifting the shoulder. Slowly roll your head forward bringing your chin closer to your chest before continuing to slowly roll your head to the other shoulder. Do not let your head fall backward. You are creating only a half circle with this stretch. If more stretch is desired gently place a hand on your head and/or allow your upper spine to increase the range of half circle.

Tip #9

Develop core strength. When abdominal and back muscles are toned and fit, they act to support the skeleton and improve your posture. There are many different ways to actively strengthen your abdominals through sit-ups, Pilates, and other gym exercises. When you’re on your feet all day you need to train your abdominals to engage appropriately all the time, not just when doing strengthening exercises. You can do this by first imagining your pelvis as a bowl, and making sure the front of the bowl is not tipping and allowing its abdominal contents to spill forward. With the bowl evenly placed, slightly draw the abdominal muscles up towards your ribs and back towards the spine. You will feel this action primarily below the belly button. The focus is to have the abdominals engaged for support while allowing free movement of the ribs and diaphragm. (After all you need to speak freely to your customers. No invisible belts cinching the waist and lifting the ribs, please!) At first you will need to bring your attention to this small, yet powerful engagement of the deeper abdominal muscles but over time the pattern of usage will become more automatic. Using your abdominals in this fashion on a daily basis, whether you are sitting or standing, will improve your abdominal strength as much if not more than doing sit-ups.

Tip #10

Change your stance. Most people when standing tend to drop into one hip, or have their feet outside of their hips in what is affectionately called the ‘Peter Pan’ posture. This wide stance tends to increase tightness in the muscles in the lateral hips and pelvis. Try shifting to a stance where the feet are forward and back, similar to an open 4th position. This will promote a better alignment of the body, and decreases muscle tension in your back and hips.

Improving your overall fitness through cardiovascular exercise while targeting these key areas can slowly and consistently improve back health. Focus on a tip or two until it becomes a part of your normal routine before adding another activity in. Your back will thank you for years to come!

Deborah Vogel is a neuromuscular educator well known in the field of arts medicine. Her latest DVD, on effective stretching can be found at http://www.effectivestretching.com

Lower back stretches strengthen the inner thighs and abdominal muscles, tone the perineal area, and boosts correct body alignment. These exercises are critical for preventing tight muscles which can lead to injury. These stretches therefore help prevent back injuries and need not be painful but can in themselves help relieve painful spasms in the back. If you have a chronic condition and need relief, lower back stretches could be the answer.

Stretching exercises have many benefits for your body and can be performed even when pain is present. Stretching the muscles of the back will keep them loose, this will help you to reduce the pain and stiffness and prevent injury to the area as a whole. Stretching exercises are easy to do; you don’t need any special, expensive equipment to do them and can be done in the comfort of your home or in a fitness environment, whichever suits you best.

To eliminate back pain it is important to strengthen the muscles which support the spine. When the lower back is stiff, it doesn’t move properly and extra pressure is placed on the structures of the spine. Back stretches not only help release tension and improve muscle elasticity but also strengthen the core muscles which support the spine and joints.

Lack of flexibility in the lower spine is one factor that can make abdominal exercises less effective.

When suffering from lower back pain, great care must be taken with back stretches or back exercises. One should always check with their doctor before starting any exercise program and it is absolutely essential that your doctor has given you the go-ahead to do some lower back stretches. Make a tremendous “investment” in your lower back by doing these exercises regularly.

Do you need to suffer? No
Is this a condition for life? No
How can I prevent back pain? By doing gentle lower back stretches.

Should I exercise with back pain? Exercise is of great benefit to someone suffering from back pain and for anyone hoping to avoid it in the future. Just don’t exercise if the injury to your back is in the acute phase, check with your physician/GP. Ready to kick back pain out of your life – Click Here.

Sciatica is a term that describes a series of symptoms including pain, weakness and a tingling sensation in the lower legs and back. It would seem like common sense that if the back and legs are hurting, then you should not use them to avoid aggravating the injury any further. However, sciatica stretches are one of the best and easiest treatment options to get rid of pain.

This is because most causes of sciatica can be corrected with proper conditioning of the lower back and legs. Physical therapy is a great way to improve the strength, stability and flexibility of the spine and muscles of the leg, which can relieve pressure that is put on the sciatic nerve. Strength is important because it will make it easier to withstand forceful actions that have an effect on body structure that would otherwise cause pain. Flexibility is important too because it trains the body to maneuver easier without other soft tissue creating compression on the nerve roots, resulting in sciatica.

There are also several other treatment options available that are not centered around physical therapy to alleviate sciatica symptoms. The other most common treatment is to use either over the counter or prescription drugs to deal with the pain. For example, over the counter NSAID’s are used to reduce inflammation of soft tissue that might be pressing down on the sciatic nerve. More drastic measures for severe cases of sciatica are steroid injections or spine surgery. While these options can yield pain relief sooner (for the right price), they have their disadvantages that do not make them the most ideal of solutions.

There are many causes of sciatica, and there are also many treatment options as well. However, the best long term and cost effective treatment options are sciatica stretches and physical therapy to alleviate back and leg pain.

Having trouble sleeping with back pain? Getting a good night sleep is vital for everyone’s health. It is especially important if you have back pain. Unfortunately those of us with an aching back can find the pain interfering with getting a good night sleep. We toss and turn and generally have a restless night, waking up feeling tired and cranky. The solution might be as simple as doing some gentle stretching before bed. Here are some of the best stretches to do before bed. Try these exercises and see if you do not sleep better.

1. Lie on your back on the floor with a small pillow or towel under your head. Now bend your legs and bring them up to your chest. Grab your knees with your hands and gently pull your knees to your chest. Relax and hold for a few minutes.

2. Another version of the first stretch is to roll from side to side as you hold your knees to your chest. You can also try bringing one leg up and holding it to your chest while the other one is keep straight out.

3. Standing upright with your hands at your side bend forward sliding your hands down your legs. Now bend at the knees and continue sliding your hands down as far as comfortable. In this position straighten your legs as you return to a standing posture.

4. Lie on your bed resting your hands on your tummy just below the navel. Breathe through your nose extending your tummy, not your chest. This is called abdominal breathing. Exhale slowly through the mouth. Although this may not seem like a stretch done correctly deep breathing will give a gentle stretch and help relax you and promote deep sleep.

5. Walking, again this may not seem like a stretching exercise but simply taking a short stroll or walk around the house stretches and relaxes the body.

Try these stretches. I have and found them very effective in helping me sleep. What you are trying to achieve here is to simply release tension that has been building up all day. Most of us do not get enough exercise. This is especially true if you have a herniated disc or other back problem. However exercise is the single most important thing you can do to relief back pain. Stretching and exercises loosens tight muscles, stretches tendons, ligaments and nerves and releases stress and tension. Just what the doctor ordered for a good night sleep.

The Pain Stops Here! You deserve relief from your aching back and to live pain free. There are alternatives to suffering and surgery. As someone who has suffered with debilitating back pain, I believe you owe it to yourself to know all the facts. For more FREE information, reports and videos take the first step and Click Here