Back pain is one of the most common medical problems in the world. Our sedentary society is extremely prone to this mismatch, modern disease.
Your Spine Should Move
Your spine is meant to move in all three dimensions. It should flex and extend forward and backward, bending to the sides and it should be able to rotate (and of course all of these motions at the same time).
As you can see on the picture, your Thoracic Spine is quite “happy” to move into rotation, while your Lumbar Spine, your lower back, has less than 3% of rotational motion (middle column). These vertebrae are there for stabilizing.
What can go wrong?
This can change extremely easily, if we have a sedentary lifestyle. What happens is that the Thoracic area gets tighter and unable to extend, side bend and rotate well. This makes the Lumbar more mobile in rotational movement, which creates unnecessary tension. So if your upper back cannot extend, rotate and side bend well (because of extended periods in bent, seated position), your low back has to do its job on the bottom. Plus this usually is coupled with forward head posture, putting lots of stress on the cervical vertebrae.
Here are a few drills that can help revitalize your back after those extended sitting periods:
Perform each exercise for about 8-12 repetitions on each sides. Make sure that you don’t force the movement, and your breath is neutral.
Check out our Bulletproof Your Back pre-made program at our Online Store.
Which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments!
Yours in Health and Fitness,
Gabor