Back pain is such an obvious problem in our day-to-day lives that we
either let it get the best of us, take way too many over-the-counter
pain or anti-inflammatory pills, or run to the doctor for physical
therapy or surgery. And you know the pain or spasm is coming (or going
to get worse than it already is), because you had a stressful day at
work or you lifted too many boxes or pull a weed the wrong way from your
beautiful garden.
The good news is that suffering back pain need not be a part of your
daily routine. All you need to do is engage in a few easy exercises to
loosen up and restore proper posture, and your back will be supple in no
time.
You don’t need a personal trainer or a gym membership, or even a lot
of space to do them. And these three simple exercises should always be
your first line of “therapy” when you feel a twinge of discomfort... and
certainly long before you reach for the pain relievers or muscles
relaxants. A few relaxed sets of each of these exercises can immediately
make you feel better, and prevent a needless trip to the doctor.
These simple exercises are knee bends, waist twists and hip rolls.
They are a great way to get the blood moving, release those feel-good
endorphins, stretch the muscles, restore normal range of motion and help
you detox those nasty toxins that cause pain and inflammation. These
are the secrets to back pain relief — and prevention.
Since these simple exercises contract and extend the major muscle
groups, including the core stabilizing muscles, you can do them anytime
with varying degrees of difficulty. Simply adjust them as you get more
accustomed to doing them.
Done regularly, these beneficial exercises will increase your health
and fitness levels by promoting blood circulation and releasing muscle
tightness and spasms, thus helping to tone your body. They will make you
feel warmer and even help improve your digestive health as they assist
the action of your intestines to move the bowels and aid in the
detoxification process.
Detoxing is important when considering pain, as toxins (metabolic waste) in the blood and muscles creates inflammation and pain.
Let's now look at how easy it is to do these three simple back pain relief exercises:
Exercise 1 — Hip Rolls:
Stand back away from your support and stand with legs at shoulder-width apart.
Tighten your abdominal muscles and put your hands on your hips.
Imagine you have a hula hoop, or are doing the hula, and rotate your
hips clockwise 5 times, then rotate them counter-clockwise 5 times.
Be sure to relax and smile and breathe naturally with this exercise.
Exercise 2 — Waist Twists:
With your hands relaxed at your sides and with feet a shoulder-width
apart, simply start swinging your arms right then left, patting both
hands on your lower back as they reach around.
This will massage the kidneys. Be sure not to swing or pat too hard, just in a relaxed easy motion! Breathe naturally and relax.
Simply do a count of 10, and then relax. Then move onto the next exercise.
Exercise 3 — Knee Bends:
Do some gentle, relaxed knee bends. If you have knee or back issues
it is best to do them with the assistance of a chair, table or desk.
Stand in a relaxed shoulder-width position and place your hands on
the support. Tighten your stomach muscles and exhale while bending your
knees and going down as far as you can without falling or straining your
knees. Inhale while standing up. Do 10 of these to finish this quick
exercise circuit.
The complete series of these three simple exercises only takes
about two minutes to complete. Initially, try to do the exercises three
times each day.
