Lower Back Pain? Make a Box
My day entails an admittedly unhealthy amount of time glued to the computer, which translates to frequent lower back pain. The internetitis doesn’t help matters, especially because I just refuse to seek help. So, here’s a nifty little trick I learned from a girlfriend who has a hereditary health disorder that causes seriously brutal lower back aches. She learned it from her physical therapist, however: you all know I’m not an official anything (other than smart ass), so please run this by a pro if you happen to be, say, recovering from spinal surgery. I make a “back box” on days when I can’t make it to yoga, and it feels great.
How to Make a Back Box
Ready for this? It’s so easy.
1. Lie on your back on the floor, knees bent, feet a few inches apart, arms relaxed at your sides.
2. Draw your knees up to your chest with your arms (so you’re hugging yourself).
3. Very slowly rock to the side. You will have to flex your abdominals a bit for support.
4. Now, very slowly rock to the other side.
5. Gently roll your hugged self forward – not all the way, as if you’re coming out of a somersault, but just a few inches so that your shoulders lift up a bit off the ground. You should feel the “box” at the base of your spine being massaged a bit (really just your lower vertebrae). Don’t roll forward too much – the idea is not to do a complete roll-up into a sitting position. We’re just massaging your lower back lightly.
6. Now, roll back the opposite way, until your hips have lifted off the ground a bit and more of your neck is meeting the floor.
7. Repeat the whole process 3 or 4 times. If done slowly and on a fairly hard, even surface, you should feel the tension that has built up in your lower back begin to loosen a bit. I visualize a miniature square at the base of my spine, and each step massages an edge of the square.
Let me know how it goes for you – and what your favorite stretches are at the end of the day.
Want more? Like I even have to ask…
15 Great Back Pain Tips from Maxim
Nice trick, thanks Sara … it does make my lower back feel better. Now if only I can do something about upper back pain!
I also suffer from lower back pain, partly for the same reasons as you, partly because I used to be overweight…..
A Bhujangasana (’Cobra’) pose does the trick for me. It’s toughed my lower back no end. And gradually it’s made me flexible enough to be able to push my arms straight and near-vertical when I do it.
Also –
going to a wall, pushing my butt against it so my back is flat to the ground, and stretching my legs upwards so they’re vertical, laid parallel to the wall. That eases any pain the Cobra doesn’t shift.
Looks bloody silly though.
Oh, and I’ll definitely try Making A Box. Thanks.
I tried it just now and it really works. Thanks a lot Sara. And all without any fancy stuff.
Thanks, guys! Glad you like it.
(Psst @Mikeachim, I do the wall thing, too, and yes…it looks a little odd I guess. But it feels great!)
This is a great move that can be done anywhere without any equipment. And, a foam roll can work wonders as well.
I wasn’t quite sure what to think of them at first, but I bought one a few months ago (only about $20 at your local sporting goods store), and I’ve been swearing by it ever since.
It’s like a deep tissue massage, though it does take about a week to work through the “kinks” that have probably built up in your muscle tissue.
Having gone through some excruciating back pain, I can say this is one of the best starting points. If it doesn’t work- there’s one word that spells relief: epidural.
I went from flexy boy- doing Yoga and Aikido regularly, to laid-up boy. Unable to move/work/anything for several months. My 30 year warranty expired several years prior to this event- The thing that got me back on my feet (I’m doing P90X, aikido, and yoga again) was the injection.
ymmv
I’ve also “rocked” on a tennis ball or pair of rolled-up socks. Place the item on the floor (I recommend a pair of socks for your first few times) and rest your pelvis on it, at the point just above the coccyx (or whatever your “butt-bone” is called). Rest there for a moment, and gently rock back and forth in all directions for at least 30 seconds. When you remove the ball/socks, you will be AMAZED.
Also, I like this one: lie on your back, knees drawn up as if you were doing an old-skool sit-up. Raise one arm, “wiping” it along the floor, to the side of your body so that your bicep eventually meets your head. Turn your head to face that arm. Finally, let your knees drop to the side opposite the raised arm. Your torso will be turned to its side. Take several deep breaths and release them with audible sighs. I do this frequently, and it’s a great aid for releasing back tension.
Sorry if these descriptions aren’t so complete…it’s late, though I’ve done my best.
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연락처를 보내주시면, 연락드려 자세히 상담해 드리겠습니다.
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*비번:0304
*빌라 매매 부동산 입니다.
어떠한상황의 빌라도 20일안에 팔아드리도록 노력하겠습니다.
의뢰를 원하시는 분은 메일(villa0304@naver.com)로 간단한 상황과
연락처를 보내주시면, 연락드려 자세히 상담해 드리겠습니다.
감사합니다.
관리자님께 죄송합니다. 거부의사를 보내주시면, 글을 올리지 않겠습니다.
*비번:0304
*빌라 매매 부동산 입니다.
어떠한상황의 빌라도 20일안에 팔아드리도록 노력하겠습니다.
의뢰를 원하시는 분은 메일(villa0304@naver.com)로 간단한 상황과 지역,
연락처를 보내주시면, 연락드려 자세히 상담해 드리겠습니다.
감사합니다.
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