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Sitting on the Job? It May Be Ruining Your Back!

December 5, 2011 By 1 Comment

How bad can sitting at the office or in a car or truck all day really be? Well… it can cause several structural imbalances in your body which can actually be the cause of back, neck and shoulder pain.

Yes, we Americans have found ourselves in a day-to-day work and life environment where we sit, sit, sit. We sit at work, in the car, on the couch, at the table, on a park bench. And all this sitting has not only caused a decrease in healthy physical activity, it has led to weight gain and yes, chronic back pain.

Below is a list of the numerous physical conditions that develop over time from prolonged sitting, and what you can do to minimize the effects.

1.  The longer you sit the more likely your pelvis will flare, meaning it can rotate outward, inward,
backward or downward. And it can happen on one or both sides. Even worse, you can develop a
combination of these incorrect positions. For example, you can have one side rotated forward,
outward and high, while the other side rotated backward, inward and low.

2.  The longer you sit the more likely your glutes will flatten. This means they will weaken, as lack
of use “shuts them down.”

3.  The longer you sit the tighter and more dominant your hip flexors will become in order to stabilize
your pelvis. What happens is that your hip flexors will inhibit your glutes from working. That’s right:
your hip flexors will ”turn off” your glutes and the only way to get them going again is to minimize the
sitting to restore physical balance.

This is a good time to give you a quick test. Do it slowly and in control as this may not be for everyone. So do it at your own pace and risk. If you have had a THR, DO NOT perform this activity.

Begin by putting your heels together. Rotate your feet outward like a duck and then squeeze your butt.
You should notice a very strong contraction. Relax. Now rotate your toes inward so that your toes
are touching and your heals are rotated out as far as they can go. Now squeeze your butt. You will note
much less of a contraction. That inability to squeeze your glutes is proof that your glutes are inhibited
or ”turned off” and a sure sign that you need to get your butt stronger.

Please feel free to do 10 to 20 of these toe-in glute squeezes per hour every day, to keep your glutes working.

4.  The last major effect of siting is that your pelvis will tend to tip backwards. This puts undo stress on
your pelvis, SI Joint, and your entire spine. It is virtually impossible to keep your pelvis in a neutral
position for an entire workday, so at some point during the day you lose it and when you multiply
that by 20 to 30 years… you have a life time of back related issues, unless addressed.

Action Steps to minimize the effects of sitting at work

When the phone rings, stand up… If you do not need to be typing, get out of the sitting position for 5 to 10 minutes and you will give your body a great break. In fact, talking on the phone is a great time to do the toe-in glute squeezes. How many can you do in a 10 minute call?

Change sitting positions… I personally have four different settings for my desk. I sit in my chair, I have a kneeling chair, I sit on a therapy ball (size 75cm) and I kneel on a foam pad that puts my pelvis straight and at just the right height. Now I do not use all of them everyday but rather rotate them on different days.

Use Trigger Point work to release your hip flexors… The best why to do this is to seek a massage therapist; however you can use a foam roller, as well as other trigger point devices on the market, such as the Trigger Point Self-Treatment System.

Learn about and study about Muscle Imbalances… There is nothing more important then keeping your pelvis and spine in the most neutral and most stable positions possible. The Healthy Back Institute provides an excellent program in muscle balance therapy.  Unlike most treatments which only deliver temporary relief, if any at all, muscle balance therapy delivers lasting relief to 8 out of 10 people who use it because it addresses the underlying cause of the pain, not just the symptoms. If you suffer from any type of back pain, neck pain or sciatica, now is the time to learn more about this breakthrough new treatment. Click here to learn more…

Some Recommended Sitting Resources

In addition to the self-help actions described previously, the following recommended items can be very effective in reducing or eliminating aches and pains due to prolonged sitting. They can either be used singly or in combination with each other:

1.   Freedom Back Support Cushion 
          2.   Back Joy Core Plus
         3.   Back Pain Office Chair

Now that you know the ill effects of sitting all day, and what to do to correct the imbalances from it, don’t wait 20 or 30 years to make a change that you can do right now.

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The Health Dangers of Poor Posture…

September 17, 2011 By 13 Comments

One of the worst things you can do for your back is to sit down. That’s because the “C”-shaped posture most people slump into puts serious stress on the spine. You may not feel any discomfort right now, but the medical consensus is bad posture will cause you pain… sooner or later.

Health-aware people need to take proactive steps. Especially nowadays when so much time is spent sitting in front of flatscreens. On the other hand, the economy is tough, and the average person can expect to pay $60 to $90 for an hour massage, while the cost of chiropractic care ranges from $40 to $100 per session.

Luckily, one of the world’s oldest, easiest and most-effective posture-correcting and tension-relieving exercises is cost-free.

“Sinking your weight” is a traditional wellness treasure you can practice anywhere, effortlessly, and without ever moving a muscle. Now is a great time to learn how to stand up in a whole new way.

Start by standing up straight, feet a shoulder’s-width apart, arms loose by your sides, anywhere it’s quiet and comfortable. Relax. Pretend you are a puppet hanging by one golden thread from the top of your head. Notice how the neck stretches out, and your shoulders settle down.

Are you under the mistaken impression that keeping certain muscles tense is what holds you up? Not so. The simple point of sinking your weight is to relax as much as possible each and every muscle group from the top of your body to the soles of your feet. We begin by consciously loosening the neck, shoulders, back, chest… right on down to the toes.

A beginner’s first pass will never sufficiently relax all the muscles. Expect to keep repeating your scan-check, paying closer attention to each group. The process of loosening up from head to toe begins to feel as if you are slowly sinking your body weight down the length of your body. First, the torso starts to feel lighter.

The hardest part of the body to free-up is the pelvis. Ideally, it should be tilted slightly forward, your buttocks tucked in a little. When you sink your weight, you will need to keep checking back to consciously re-relax those hips again.

Standing up for a while, especially if you aren’t used to it, can cause your legs to tire. You know the feeling — your thighs and calves begin trembling or get that old burning sensation. What people usually do, if we have to keep standing, is to shift our weight. This displaces the muscular tensions somewhere else in our legs but doesn’t change the problem, which soon sets in again.

You can completely conquer twitchy tired legs — be able to stand comfortably indefinitely with perfect posture — by learning how to sink your weight into your thighs, past the knees and down through your calves. This is tricky, but, with a little practice for a few minutes a day, the twitchy discomfort goes away.

A time comes when you hang by the golden thread, settle your weight down through your body and, finally, right through your feet into the floor. From then on, even simple walking will feel lighter, more limber, sometimes almost like dancing. More importantly, your posture will be undistorted by the spinal stress and muscular tensions “C” slump-sitting causes.

While ‘sinking your weight’ for free is the smart way to keep you healthy and happy, those looking for a more attractive modern workplace alternative may be interested in utilizing a specially designed ergonomic office chair. Ergonomic chairs can cost anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars, however, a small price to pay when compared to the huge benefits derived in comfort, corrective posture, and reduction of back pain when used correctly. “The Best Chair for Bad Backs” is one recommended by The Healthy Back Institute, and is effective in reducing “C” slump-sitting. More information on this popular product can be found by clicking here.

                                                                

 

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Effective Back Pain Exercises

July 22, 2011 By 3 Comments

The answer to a healthy back is appropriate exercise. The problems associated with back pain can be minimized with exercises. It is widely known that regular exercises will improve the appearance and health in general, but very few realize the benefits that good physical conditioning can have on their back pain.

The benefit of exercises for the back depends on the following three key principles:

To attain satisfactory aerobic fitness. To focus part of the exercising on the muscle groups that supports the back. To avoid exercises that cause heavy stresses on the back

The right kind of exercise program helps in keeping the back pain under control and can make it easier to continue doing the daily chores. A break from vigorous exercise can be taken if the pain becomes worse. A Doctor or physiotherapist can be consulted before starting an exercise program for deciding on the type of exercises that can be done to relieve back pain and to stay fit.

Warm up is important before exercise and deep inhaling has to be repeated before each exercise. Regular exercise helps a lot and if it is skipped for a day, unavoidably walking can compensate it, to some extent.

Exercises to strengthen the back and hip muscles:

Wall slides exercise helps to strengthen the back and hip muscles. Leg muscles also get relieved. By standing against a wall on your back, try to slide down with knees bent. The bend should be 90 degrees and count till 5. Then come back to standing posture. This has to be continued for five times.

Raising the leg also helps in strengthening back and hip muscles. Lay down on the stomach. Try to tighten the muscles of a leg and bring it up. Count till 10 and bring it down. Continue this for 5 times each for both the legs.

Sitting up partially strengthens the abdomen muscles. Lie on the back and keep the knees bent. Raise the head and shoulder above the floor and try to reach the knees with hands. Leg rising also benefits stomach and hip muscles.

Exercises to minimize the back pain:

An aerobic conditioning program for 30 minutes, three times a week is ideal for overall fitness. Recommended aerobic exercise includes Bicycling, swimming and brisk walking. Aggravation of low back pain can happen if step aerobics and exercises like jumping and running are practiced. Aerobic exercises make the heart and other muscles consume oxygen more efficiently.

Swinging back legs could strengthen the muscles of hip and back. Stand in the back of a chair and raise a leg up and down without bending the knee. Repeat this for each leg.Posture training for sitting, standing, sleeping and even during motion is needed if posture is a factor. The type of shoes viz. High Heels that are worn can also affect the posture by adding more stress on the lower back by changing the posture.

Stretching exercises can be done for keeping the muscles flexible and less prone to injury.

Physical therapy: There are different forms of physical therapy viz. Passive Physical therapy and Active Physical therapy. Passive physical therapy includes Heat/Ice packs, TENS units and Iontophoresis. Active Physical therapy is the exercises like Stretching for back pain exercise, Low-impact aerobic conditioning and strengthening for back pain exercise.

While there are merits if a pattern of good conditioning is followed the wrong type of exercise may actually worsen the low back pain. Activities that pass on too much stress on the back like lifting heavy weights, jumping, running, step aerobics and climbing are not advised. Slow Cycling on a recumbent stationary bike can also relieve back stress. To sum up, exercise will decrease the severity and frequency of lower back pain and can be prevented when a comprehensive exercise program is followed.

Inversion Therapy

An alternative to exercise and medication to fight back pain is inversion therapy.  Most doctors will focus on treating the symptoms of back pain using anti-inflammatory medications, cortisone injections, electrical stimulation and the like. However, they tend to ignore the biggest factor that contributes to back pain, that of spinal compression.  Spinal compression translates to the force of gravity on our bodies that creates pressure and stress on all our muscles, bones, joints, and ligaments.

The spine is the most affected by this gravity force. Both gravity and muscle imbalances shove our vertebrae together, pressing on the discs, which in turn become herniated resulting in nerve root pressure or back pain. Inversion therapy aims to treat this resulting back pain by reducing the influence of gravity and the compression of the vertebrae and discs. This allows the muscles and ligaments that encase the spine to relax.

Inversion therapy is accomplished using an Inversion Table which allows you to lie on your back relaxed at various inclines or inverted position. This position eliminates some or all gravitational compression, depending how far back you position your body. Inversion therapy is safe, quick, and effective in increasing the space between the vertebrae bones, thus relieving back pain. When in doubt, a back pain sufferer should consult his doctor because certain human body conditions such as high blood pressure, bone diseases, and medical implants or fusion surgery may preclude that person from using an inversion table.

While there are many styles of inversion tables offered, they are in essence built to perform the same inversion function. A recommended inversion table is the Teeter Hang Ups table which you may want to read further on by clicking here. Many back pain sufferers have achieved success and reducing or eliminating their back pain after using this popular product.

Related Back Pain Exercise Articles

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Back Pain Exercises-Fitness and Health

July 22, 2011 By 5 Comments

Back pain exercises can help many people with back pain achieve significant results.  Back pain affects the ability of people to work, and around the world, is a common cause of absence. Evidence of back pain can be debilitating and frustrating if not treated.

The areas of the body most affected are low back pain in the waist, lower lumbar back pain, or pain from the neck down.

There are many factors that contribute to the development of back pain:

Spinal aging, degenerative discs, osteoporosis, arthritis, skeletal conditions due to degenerative changes in the spine. Low back pain generally starts around age 30 and women are at greater risk due to the effects of menopause.

If you are a business that requires you to handle heavy objects, do bending and lifting such as at a construction site, and you are not doing any back pain exercises to relieve yourself, you are at high risk of developing severe pain in the back.

Other factors causing pain to radiate to your back can stem from certain infections in the kidneys, bones, and inflammation of key organs. Poor posture, obesity, pregnancy, smoking, minor fractures, scoliosis and skeletal deformities, stress and depression, may all cause acute or chronic low back pain.

Some important things to consider in managing your back pain are:

Consult health care providers or physical therapists prior to taking on an exercise program. Perform regular exercises to strengthen the back muscles to alleviate back pain. Stick to a fixed program. Avoid activities such as bending, sitting or standing more than 30 minutes which may increase your pain.

Bouts of severe pain in the back may require you to take non-prescription pain relievers and muscle relaxants. Go to the gym and work with a fitness trainer who is trained properly and can give you the correct exercise program. Cardio exercises such as swimming and brisk walking that do not put pressure on your back are helpful. Spinal muscular spasms usually cause back pain as a result of underlying conditions.

It is important to strengthen the abdomen, spine, and hip and thigh muscles to alleviate lower back pain. Perform stretching to relieve muscle stiffness.

Recommended exercises

Crunches -

Lie with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Cross arms over your chest or put hands behind your neck. Tighten stomach muscles and raise your shoulders off the floor. Breathe out as you raise your shoulders. Don’t lead with your elbows or use arms to pull your neck off the floor. Hold for a second, then slowly lower back down. Repeat 8 to 12 times.

Hamstring Stretches -

Lie on your back and bend one knee. Loop a towel under the ball of your foot. Straighten your knee and slowly pull back on the towel. You should feel a gentle stretch down the back of your leg. Hold for at least 15 to 30 seconds. Do 2 to 4 times for each leg.

Wall Sits -

Stand 10 to 12 inches from the wall, then lean back until your back is flat against the wall. Slowly slide down until your knees are slightly bent, pressing your lower back into the wall. Hold for a count of 10, then carefully slide back up the wall. Repeat 8 to 12 times.

Press-up Back Extensions -

Lie on your stomach with your hands under your shoulders. Push with your hands so your shoulders begin to lift off the floor. If it’s comfortable for you, put your elbows on the floor directly under your shoulders and hold this position for several seconds.

Bird Dog -

Start on your hands and knees, and tighten your stomach muscles. Lift and extend one leg behind you. Keep hips level. Hold for 5 seconds, and then switch to the other leg. Repeat 8 to 12 times for each leg, and try to lengthen the time you hold each lift. Try lifting and extending your opposite arm for each repetition.

Knee To Chest -

Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Bring one knee to your chest, keeping the other foot flat on the floor. Keep your lower back pressed to the floor, and hold for 15 to 30 seconds. Then lower your knee and repeat with the other leg. Do this 2 to 4 times for each leg.

Pelvic Tilts -

Lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat on floor. Tighten your stomach by pulling in and imagining your belly button moving toward your spine. You’ll feel your back pressing into the floor, and your hips and pelvis rocking back. Hold for 10 seconds while breathing in and out smoothly. Repeat 8 to 12 times.

Bridging -

Lie on your back with knees bent and just your heels on the floor. Push your heels into the floor, squeeze your buttocks, and lift your hips off the floor until shoulders, hips, and knees are in a straight line. Hold about 6 seconds, and then slowly lower hips to the floor and rest for 10 seconds. Repeat 8 to 12 times.

Lift Weights -

Done properly, lifting weights doesn’t usually hurt your back. In fact, it may help relieve chronic back pain. But when you have acute (sudden) back pain, putting extra stress on back muscles and ligaments could raise risk of further injury. Ask your doctor whether you should lift weights, and which exercises to avoid.

Aerobic Exercise -

Aerobic exercise strengthens your lungs, heart, and blood vessels and can help you lose weight. Walking, swimming, and biking may all help reduce back pain. Start with short sessions and build up over time. If your back is hurting, try swimming, where the water supports your body. Avoid any strokes that twist your body.

Pilates Moves -

Pilates combines stretching, strengthening, and core abdominal exercises. Under the instruction of an experienced teacher, it may help some people with back pain. Be sure to tell your teacher about your back pain, because you may need to skip some moves. A free DVD copy of Pilates is available for you by Clicking Here.

Exercises To Avoid

Leg Lifts -

Leg lifts are sometimes suggested as an exercise to “strengthen your core” or abdominal muscles. But lifting both legs together while lying on your back can make back pain worse. Instead, try lying on your back with your right leg straight and left leg bent at the knee. Slowly lift right leg up about 6 inches and hold briefly. Lower leg slowly. Repeat 10 times, then switch legs.

Sit Ups -

Although you might think sit-ups can strengthen your core or abdominal muscles, most people tend to use muscles in the hips when doing sit-ups. Sit-ups may also put a lot of pressure on the discs in your spine.

Toe Touches -

Exercise is good for low back pain — but not all exercises are beneficial. Some may aggravate pain. Standing toe touches, for example, put greater stress on the disks and ligaments in your spine. They can also overstretch lower back muscles and hamstrings.

Correct Your Own Back Troubles

In addition to the above exercises, you may want to check out Backpain Goodbye, an easy self-help program for back pain, sciatica, and bulging disk relief. It was developed by Robert Feddes, a former back pain sufferer, and provides excellent insights into understanding your back pain mechanics, as well as exercises and action items that can help relieve or even rid of your back pain.

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