Has being stuck sitting all day behind your home office desk increased your upper back pain? Or, for that matter, have your weekly workouts or yoga routines left your upper back pain WORSE than when you began?
Your problem may not be a result of the more sedentary lifestyle that you have grown accustomed to over the past year, and as you may have noticed, just simply keeping up with your normal workouts and daily stretches are sometimes not sufficient to curb your pain…unfortunately, your painful symptoms may even be worse because of some of the repetitive things done in your workouts. Therefore, YOU need specific stretches performed in particular ways throughout the day to finally eliminate those annoying, painful upper back symptoms and get you back to doing exactly what you love!
Here are my top 5 lower back pain stretches:
- Extension Over a Chair
- Sit up tall in your chair and clasp your hands behind your head (if that is uncomfortable, cross your arms across your chest and place your hands on your shoulders)
- Lean backwards, looking “up and back” with your head and neck, while arching and levering your upper back over the back of your chair
- Sit back up to neutral
- Kneeling Supported Upper Back Extensions
- From the kneeling position, place both elbows in front of you on an elevated surface (e.g. chair, couch)
- Lean forward, placing your spine in a more horizontal position, then by consciously relaxing, allow your mid and upper back to drop towards the floor into an arched, extended position and remain relaxed in this position for several, normal breaths
- Child’s Pose
- Begin from the “hands and knees” position on the ground (or yoga mat)
- Sit backwards, moving your butt towards your heels while also stretching your arms out forwards in front of you
- Your chest will lower towards the floor as you shift backwards, so that your forehead will rest on the ground, with your arms reaching out, also resting on the ground, in front of you
- Remain relaxed in this elongated, stretched position for several, normal breaths
- Extension in Lying
- Begin lying face down on the floor (yoga mat)
- Place your hands on the ground at your sides but above your shoulders, at the same level (the same plane) as your ears…so that if you turned your head to a side, you would be looking at your hand
- Press downwards through your hands to raise yourself up against gravity, totally straightening your arms and elbows…. this produces extension, or arching, of your entire spine, but also attempts to “focus” the stretch into the mid to upper back
- Lower yourself back to the mat
- Feel free to adjust the placement of your hands so that you feel the stretch in the appropriate region of your back
- “All Fours” Rotation
Begin from the “hands and knees” position on the ground (or yoga mat), taking care that your spine is relatively relaxed and straight
- Lift one hand from the mat, reach across your chest and place it on the front of your opposite shoulder
- Now, rotate your chest, thorax, and shoulder up towards the ceiling which creates a “twisting” or “rotational” stretch across your upper back…your upper body will be supported on one outstretched arm and hand
- Take care to keep your low back and pelvis relatively straight and neutral, or else you will be stretching your low back and NOT your upper back
- Remember to perform this stretch on both sides! The general recommendation would be to perform 1 set of 10-15 reps of any of these upper back stretches at least every couple of hours throughout your day…the more significant and constant your symptoms are, the more frequent you should attempt the stretches.
A final piece of advice: if after attempting these upper back stretches your symptoms actually WORSEN, then these specific stretches may not be for you, so take a break and allow your symptoms to calm down. If they persist, you can try either ice or heat for relief. If you have been experiencing significant upper back pain and stiffness, and would like a professional evaluation and expert treatment that comes directly to your home or place of business, then schedule your house call appointment now with Dr. Bill: