5 Simple Ways to Decrease Low Back Pain
by Logan Anglin, DPT
Low back pain is no joke and very common in the United States. Nearly 3 out of 10 adults – 72.3 million people – currently suffer from chronic low back pain, surpassing the number of Americans who have arthritis, diabetes or heart disease. Here are 5 ways to decrease low back pain naturally utilizing healthy habits such as stretching, posture, hydrating, avoiding prolonged sitting or standing, and frequent walking.
1. Stretching to Decrease Low Back Pain
One of the key ways to decrease low back pain is to stretch often and for long holds. The spine and back are home to many different length muscles with many different functions. Stretching the low back, middle back, upper back and lower extremity can be life changing for an individual with chronic pain. It is recommended to stretch every day in order to make permanent changes to muscle tissue, tendons, and fascia that could be bogged down from years of neglect and tough working conditions. Try yoga or frequent stretches of the lower extremity such as the hamstrings and quads to improve flexibility and decrease resting tension imposed to the spine.
2. Posture to Decrease Low Back Pain
One common cause for back pain is poor posture with sitting, standing, exercising, or working. A good neutral spine should be addressed by engaging the core to take stress of the low back and to form a more natural curvature to the spine. If you work at a desk job and spend hours every day sitting, try setting an alarm every 30 minutes to remember to correct your posture.
3. Avoid Prolonged Sitting/Standing to Decrease Low Back Pain
Our bodies are meant for movement! Sitting, standing or maintaining any single posture for extended periods of time can cause stiffness to muscles and fascia. Prolonged sitting or standing (especially in a poor posture) can impose increased amounts of stress and sheer force to vertebrae and discs in our spine. If you spend a lot of time sitting, set an alarm every 30 minutes to go for a short walk or to stretch out your back and lower extremities.
4. Walk and Exercise Regularly to Decrease Low Back Pain
As mentioned earlier, our bodies are designed for movement. Walking has many associated benefits. Walking gets the hips, legs and arms moving, mobilizing joints in and around the spine. This will warm up tissues and increase blood flow to the low back. Walking also helps lubricate joints by increasing cardiovascular. Walking can help burn calories, decrease weight and impose less stress for the lumbar spine to hold.
Another form of exercise that can help decrease low back pain is strengthening exercises. Strengthening your glutes helps provide a strong base of support for the spine as well as helps flatten the back for a more natural lumbar arch. Another important muscle group to strengthen is the abdominals with safe, core stability exercises such as planks or flutter kicks. When the core is strong, it is able to take some load off the low back and help pull the spine in a more neutral curvature.
5. Drink Water to Decrease Low Back Pain
Water is used for many different functions in the body and is vital for health. One use the body has for water is to help lubricate joints, including the many joints of the spine. Often times, morning stiffness can be caused by dehydration of the muscle tissues. This decreases the tissue extensibility in the muscles of the low back and hamstrings and causes increased resting tension. We recommended that an adequate daily fluid intake is about 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids every day for men and about 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids every day for women.
While lower back pain is common, it doesn’t have to be the norm. At Arizona Orthopedic Physical Therapy (AzOPT), we treat hundreds of patients with lower back pain every year. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your nearest AzOPT location to schedule a free pain assessment so we can get you back to living and feeling better!
