A lot of my patients get lower back pain and/or stiffness due to
sitting for long periods of time. Whether it’s sitting at your
desk, or working on your computer, long drives in the car, long
airline trips, or even bleacher seats at ball games, sitting can
trigger back pain, especially as we get older.
Did you know that 80 to 90% of all Americans will experience back
pain in their lives? It’s true!
And in addition to chiropractic adjustments, stretching the right
muscles is one of the best ways to avoid chronic back
pain…especially if you have trouble sitting for a long period of
time.
The bottom line is as we age, we lose flexibility. And if we don’t
stretch your flexibility will be even worse. And if you sit at a
desk all day, you make things even worse. So it’s important to
keep the right muscles stretches and flexible, and this will help
decrease your back pain too!
So today I want to show you a quick and easy stretch for low back
pain that will benefit you. What you want to do is stretch the
front of your hips and legs either daily or every other day. This
area of your body is called your “hip flexors.” If you sit all
day, you put a lot of pressure and stress on your hip flexors. And
if your hip flexors get tight and stiff, it will lead to low back
pain. Here’s a simple stretch for your hip flexors…
What you want to do is stand in a runner’s stance, with your right
foot forward and your left foot back, with your feet flat on the
floor. Then, either put your hands on your hips or have a chair
next to you that you can hold on to for support. Make sure you
keep your back and hips in straight alignment. Next, push your
hips forward while keeping your back straight. Slowly, keep moving
your hips forward until you feel a comfortable level of tension in
your upper leg. Hold for 10 to 15 seconds. Then switch sides and
do the other leg. Do each side 3 times.
If you sit for long periods of time each day, you should find this
stretch to be very beneficial. If you have any questions about how
to do it properly, either email me or ask me the next time you are
in the office for an adjustment.
Have a great day and I’ll talk to you soon!
Sincerely,
Dr. Justin Trosclair
