Arthritis Research UK has published a very useful guide to back pain, about how to manage the pain with just a few simple exercises, and to aid in recovery.
I just want to mention a few thoughts and tips about the different exercises that you can find on this leaflet:
- Back stretch – Start by doing a smaller range of movement. For instance, keeping your hips on the floor, rock both knees from side to side (feet on the ground), but don’t move your hips away from the floor as yet. Also, hold your rib cage with both hands and try not to move them at all whilst doing the movement with your knees. And please don’t worry if you can’t get both knees to the floor, it is possible that your range of movement in your lower back area is not allowing you to do that just yet. Just keep working towards it but in small steps.
- Deep Lunge – Use the back of a chair to help you with balancing. You can also do this exercise from standing, in a split stance. Then go down, bending both knees, to touch the floor with the back knee. Again, don’t worry if you cannot get down that low at first. Work towards that goal in slow steps, maybe going only half way down. This exercise is simply there to strengthen your leg muscles. Strong legs will support your back better.
- One leg stand – You can use an old scarf to wrap around your ankle to pull the foot upwards if you cannot reach your foot. Or, if you are wearing trouser, grab the lowest part and pull your foot up that way.
- Pelvic tilt – This is a very small movement of your hip, rolling back into the floor, pushing your lower back into the floor. It’s the most important exercise of all!!
- Knees to the chest – Just a little extra advice for people with sciatica pain; draw the left knee towards the left shoulder, and right knee to the right shoulder.
Hope this extra information helps.
Stay active 😉