5 Ways To Fix Your Back & Improve Spinal Mobility
Have you ever marvelled at a skyscraper and wondered, “How in the world is that standing? And how can it support all the offices, people, rolling chairs, doors, etc. inside it?”
Now, imagine yourself as a skyscraper--tall and proud. In this case, the support beams that hold your body up are like your spine, made up of 33 vertebrae, various ligaments, and crucial nerves.
Your spine provides the basic structure to keep your body upright. Every part of your body, the various muscles and limbs, including your shoulders, pelvis, and head are all dependent on it for stability and mobility. Not only that: because the spine contains the many nerves that run through your body, it plays an integral role in processing and feeling all various sensations and stimuli.
Here’s the problem.
The reality is back pain could not be more common. Due to our increasingly sedentary lifestyles, coupled with many other issues, back pain plagues people of all ages, races, and genders--it does not discriminate. If you’re suffering from back pain, you’re clearly not alone. Here are some risk factors you should take note of:
Age - People between the ages of 30 to 50 experience back pain due to bone density and muscle tone loss.
Fitness level - Inactive people with low fitness levels are more susceptible to back pain because they lack the necessary exercise to strengthen their posterior chain.
Pregnancy - Pregnant women experience back pain when their spines overcompensate for the weight of the baby.
Weight gain - Obesity and weight gain especially in the mid-section, can put added stress on your back.
Genetics - Diseases such as ankylosing spondylitis, a form of arthritis can be passed down from our parents.
Occupational risk factors - Jobs involving manual labor where pushing, pulling, and lifting can lead to back pain especially when movements require twisting of the spine.
Mental health factors - Stress, anxiety, and depression can indirectly affect back pain. Stress can cause muscles to be tensed and overworked in all areas of the body, whereas depression and anxiety can influence pain and the perception of its severity.
Backpack overload in children - Children who carry heavy backpacks loaded with books and school supply can experience undue stress on their backs.
Sitting too much - Sitting too much, especially if done with poor posture, can create a lot of stress on the back.
Dr. Kelly Starrett’s book, Deskbound: Sitting is the New Smoking explains the harms of sitting all day and the negative effect it has on the spine.
Get your copy here.
In this article, we will show you five exercises that not only alleviate back pain but also improve spinal mobility. But before we prescribe you back exercises, let’s break down (not literally!) the spine to its four parts.
Cervical vertebrae - the neck; supports the head and protects the brain stem and spinal cord
Thoracic vertebrae - the upper and middle portion of the back; holds the ribcage and protects the spine, heart, and lungs
Lumbar vertebrae - the lower back; bears the weight of the body
Sacrum - lowest points of the back and tailbone; intersects with the hip bones and supports the upper body
Most back pain begins from the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae regions because of the amount of weight and force concentrated in the area. Every time you twist your torso or bend your hips, even for simple movements like picking up an object on the ground, your thoracic and lumbar spine are heavily engaged. Considering the number of times we do this during the day, the effects can be significant!
That being said, the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae are where we will focus. Let’s get started!
Prone Back Extensions
The name prone in this case, simply means to lie on your stomach.
How To Do It:
Lie down on your stomach and prop the upper half of you body up with your forearms. Your hands should be supinated (palms facing down) at a comfortable distance from each other.
Squeeze (retract) your shoulder blades together and point your chest up to the ceiling. Your back should now be hyperextended.
If you find the stretch too easy or not challenging enough, you have the option of moving your forearms closer to your body or fully extending your arms beneath your shoulders so that you get a deeper stretch on your thoracic vertebrae. Hold whichever position suits you best.
Lie down to your prone position to release pressure from your back.
Repeat.
You should feel the stretch in your middle or upper back. If you feel too much strain on your lower back, you may move your forearms forward to a comfortable distance to decrease tension in your lumbar vertebrae. Think of it this way: the higher your chest is pointing up, the more you will feel the stretch.
Bench T-Spine Mobilization
For this exercise, you will require a bit more equipment. You will need a bench or an elevated flat surface and a bar or a stick that is the length of your shoulders or longer.
If done correctly, you should feel a stretch in your lats, triceps, and shoulders.
How To Do It:
Kneel facing a bench and place your elbows on top of it.
Hold on to a lightweight bar or stick with your palms facing towards you. A broomstick or PVC pipe works for this.
Sit back and try your best to press you butt against your heels while keeping your back straight. You can really feel the stretch in your lats by now.
Bend your elbows towards you while maintain contact to the bench and pull the bar behind your head.
Hold this position while taking deep breaths.
Reverse the motion to the starting position.
Repeat.
Bench T-Spine mobilization can help correct posture and strengthen back muscles. Because this is a compound exercise (involving the same muscle groups on both sides of the frontal plane), you will be stretching and activating your shoulders, triceps, and core all at once! It’s no wonder this exercise made it to our top 5!
Quadruped Band Assisted Thoracic Rotation
Sounds like a mouthful, but it’s actually easier than it sounds. Very common and popular thoracic spine mobility exercises right now are done usually in the quadruped position.
Quadruped position simply means that your are facing the floor as your hands, knees, toes are making contact with the ground. Because there are six points of contact with the ground, in other sports like American football, this is called a six point stance there are many variations of it, but here is an example used by NFL defensive linemen to develop explosive hips and violent hands.
For this exercise, you will need an exercise resistance band and if your knees hurt from kneeling on the floor, a yoga mat would be preferred. You can order your very own resistance band here.
How To Do It:
Start by tying the exercise resistance band to a pole nearby preferable the same height as you in quadruped position.
Be parallel with the pole about 2-3 feet away.
Tie or slip in (since most resistance bands nowadays have handles wide enough to slip you whole arm into the shoulders) the other end of the resistance band to the arm furthest from the pole.
With the same arm, bend your elbow and cup hat hand over your neck.
Rotate your upper body and your head should be facing away from the pole. Hold and feel the stretch on your thoracic spine. The resistance form the exercise resistance band will give you a deeper stretch.
Go back to the starting position and repeat.
Switch sides.
Hip flexion in the quadruped position limits movement of the lumbar spine adding more emphasis and stretch to the thoracic spine. What i like about this exercise is that it also stretches your chest and shoulders as well. Three birds with 1 stone!
Thoracic Spine Extensions with Foam Roller
Because we need good posture and rounded shoulders to avoid back pain, it is essential to maintain thoracic mobility. Thoracic mobility is easier to accomplish with this stretch and all you need is a foam roller.
‘Fascia’ is the connective tissue network that extends without interruption from the top of the head to the tips of your toes.
Fascia, like muscle, has the ability to contract and relax. Unlike muscles, fascial restrictions affect the entire network, create tension, and affect function of many anatomical structures, eventually creating such symptoms. These symptoms include muscular pains, trigger points, and joint dysfunction.
The fascia’s job is to maintain structural integrity, providing protection and support, and acting as a shock absorber. After an injury, the fascia creates an environment for tissue repair. Self- myofascial release (SMR) or a foam rolling is a type of manual physical therapy that treats these symptoms.
This is the foam roller we use at the movement guru.
Here are the simple steps to foam rolling your thoracic spine...
How To Do It:
Lay pronated (on the ground facing the ceiling) in place the foam roller under your upper and mid back. Keep knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Place your hands behind your head and bring in your elbows as close to each other as possible. This will stretch your scapula and give your thoracic spine a deeper release with added pressure from the foam roller.
Extend your back and let your head fall to the floor.
Flex and extend your knees so that you can maximize the stretch of your mid and upper back.
Rock up and down so that the foam roller is making contact from your upper to mid back.
For those of you who have never tried using a foam roller, pain and discomfort is absolutely normal (although not too much). This is the sacrifice you make for happy back muscles. Foam rolling isn’t rolling your body fast up and down. Like relationships go, you have to take it slow.
When you start to feel pain (aka a trigger point), hold that position until the pain fades away and continue to roll away the rest of your back. When you feel yourself on the trigger point, don’t hold for no longer than 30 seconds. Your back will feel so much better after a few days of doing this.
Downward Facing Dog to Squat
Those who do yoga frequently or are familiar with its poses should definitely be familiar with the downward facing dog. This will require more movement than the previous exercises so don’t be surprised if you break a sweat.
How To Do It:
Start in downward facing dog position. That means your hands and feet are the only body parts touching the floor while your hips are bent at a 90 degree angle. Keep your legs shoulder width apart from each other. You should look like the letter “A” or better yet a dog stretching after a long sit.
Bend your knees and sink your butt to your heels. Walk your hands as close as possible to your feet until you feel this comfort (this is optional) Your hands should no longer be touching the floor when you are in a deep squat position. Feel a nice stretch on your lumbar spine yet? If not, sink your butt deeper and pull your head down.
Reverse going back into the downward facing dog to relieve some stress from your lumbar spine.
Repeat.
If you have back pain and discomfort, should you be concerned? The answer is yes! But do not worry because if you follow these exercises and include them in your warm up or post workout stretches you won’t have to worry much longer.
If you want a blueprint to a life with no back pain, check out one of Dr. Kelly Starrett’s extremely knowledge, scientific and results based books,
Not only will reading this help improve your athletic performance and extend your athletic career, but it can give you insight on how to treat stiffness and achy joints, prevent and rehabilitate injuries, and gain confidence in your own movements.
Strengthening your spine will definitely make you more mobile--which is important because it affects everything you do. So remember, work on these exercises to live a healthier and more fulfilling life.
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