If you wake up with back pain and stiffness every day, chances are your muscles are spasming and tightening during the night while you sleep. With the proper stretches before bed and after you wake up, you can prevent back pain for the rest of the day!
In order to fully lengthen the muscles and tendons in your back and spine, try some of these simple stretches to get you on your way to full back mobility. To begin, wear comfortable loose clothing which will not restrict your movement.
To get an even better stretch, use some simple rubber tubing bands to assist your movements. You can buy them very inexpensively at any fitness store, or retail store with an athletic section.
When you start, lie on your back with knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place your bands on the back of your thighs and pull your legs toward your chest.
Pull until a gentle stretch is felt, and hold for at least fifteen to thirty seconds. Return to the starting position, and repeat about ten more times.
For the next one, stay lying on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Keeping your back flat, rotate your hips to the left, lowering your legs down to the floor until a gentle stretch is felt.
Hold this for at least fifteen seconds, and return to the starting position. Repeat this about ten more times.
Keeping your back flat on the floor, this time, rotate your hips to the left, lowering your legs down to the floor until you feel that lengthening in your spine and muscles. Hold this here for as long as feels comfortable, and repeat as many times as you wish.
Next, lie on your stomach, and prop yourself up on your elbows extending your back. Start to straighten you elbows, further extending your back.
Continue straightening your elbows until you feel a good stretch. Be careful not to over stretch, or tense your shoulders and neck-think about completely relaxing and letting go.
This next one is very simple but very important. A lot of the time we keep our tension in our low backs and hips, and it radiates pain up our back into our necks.
Just begin by lying on your back, with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Push the small of your back down, and into the floor by tightening your lower abdominal muscles.
This is a relatively small movement, but we so often let our low backs cave inward, and spasm. Hold this movement for a count of five to ten, and repeat it as many times as you can to strengthen those lower back muscles.
Next, lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Push down through your feet, as you slowly lift your bottom up off the floor.
Hold this for at least ten seconds, and repeat several times. This is actually a yoga pose, and is great for strengthening, lengthening, and releasing tight muscles.
The next stretch is a common one call cat/cow. Kneel down on the floor in an all fours position on your hands and knees.
Curl your back up toward the ceiling like a cat. Hold this for a couple of seconds, then pull your stomach down to the floor, hollowing out your back, and sticking your butt out.
Be sure to keep your upper back stable for your neck and shoulders. Keep this up and down motion going for as long as you can.
Next, sit in a chair with your feet flat on the ground. Curl your neck, upper back, and low back forward until your chest is on your thighs and you can touch the ground with your hands.
Don't overstretch to the point of pain-just go down as far as you can without pain or discomfort. Hold for thirty seconds.
Doing this every morning and night will help you to really begin to feel more flexibility, and strength in your spine. This is a great way to unwind and breathe deeply.
These simple stretches can help you begin to feel pain relief immediately. Try a few stretches tonight before getting into bed, and tomorrow morning before you begin your day.
Author Resource:-
Ronald Pedactor has been involved with medicine for over 20 years. He specializes in spinal recovery medicine and recommends this Salt Lake Chiropractor for all your back needs.
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