After 5-6 years of treating now, I’ve come across many different treatments for upper and lower back pain. These include core exercises, hip and chest stretches, foam rolling techniques, pressing on people’s backs, massaging people’s backs, and more. Out of everything I’ve come across thus far, there are two activities that I recommend the most.
Why these two? They are extremely simple to do and they work. Although these exercises can immediately reduce pain, they don’t always. They work in the sense that they help correct alignment and counterbalance flexion (forward bending) forces we encounter daily. Please read my comments to make sure that they are appropriate for yourself/your clients.
1. BRUGGER’S
I really fell in love with this exercise after taking a MovementLinks course. This exercise improves your posture, reduces stress on your upper back, and more. It bring’s awareness to your “phasic” system, as the genius Vladimir Janda put it. I refer to the phasic system as the “sleepy” or “lazy” muscles. In your upper back, these include the middle and lower trapezius muscles
How you do it: Start with your elbows by your sides. Rotate your shoulders and arms back, pinch the shoulder blades, and spread your fingers wide.
Sets: 1
Reps: 5-10
Hold Time: 1-10s when you pinch back
Frequency/Day: Every 30-60 minutes when holding prolonged postures or doing repetitive activities (i.e. sitting, standing, computer work, cooking, art projects such as knitting and jewelry making)
Is it appropriate? This one works for the majority of my clients. It might feel a little tired and achey in the mid back at first, but this is likely because you haven’t used those muscles in awhile. When something is “asleep,” sometimes, it doesn’t like to be woken up right away.
2. STANDING BACK EXTENSION
This is an extremely basic low back exercise that was recently reinforced to me after taking a McKenzie course. Robin McKenzie. Also another genius like Dr. Janda.
How you do it: Place your hands on your low back. Bend backwards slightly. Come back to neutral. Repeat.
Sets: 1
Reps: 5-10
Hold Time: 1-3s
Frequency/Day: Like the exercise above, this one is good to do somewhat frequently, especially when sitting a lot. You could do it every time you get up from your chair at work to go the bathroom or get a drink of water. Do just a couple before you lift a heavy object. This one might not feel great if you’ve been standing for a lot time. The back is already slightly arched when you stand, so if you try to arch it more, it might not love it.
Is it appropriate? You shouldn’t have pain when you do this. Minor aching with the first few reps like the exercise above is okay, but symptoms should dissipate. You absolutely should not have pain going down your leg with this exercise.
…AND THAT’S IT!
There ya go! Those are my two favorite, basic exercises for the spine. I’m giving you the gist of them with brief recommendations. If you have any questions with these exercises, spinal pain, or physical therapy in general, feel free to reach out to me any time at brookecarmen@wholebodyhealthpt.com.