These days, I find that I’m sitting more than usual. It may be due to working from home (I can finally work from home as a Physio with Virtual Care), Zoom chats, video games or watching Tiger King on Netflix. I’m not always in an ideal sitting position for these activities either.
These are just a few things that I do daily to help me deal with some of the aches and pains we all tend to get in the low back.
Don’t Sit for Too Long
First of all, to manage the low back tightness, I try to not to stay in a sitting position for longer than 40 minutes. I understand that this doesn’t always work when you’re “in the zone” getting work done, in the middle of a documentary or Netflix series binge watch, but it helps to stand and walk every 40 minutes. Sitting for a long period of time, combined with sitting in an awkward position can predispose you to low back pain. For those of you without a Smart Watch to tell you to get up, try setting an alarm for 40 minutes.
Move and Stretch
There are 2 main muscle groups that I like to stretch when I’ve been sitting for a while. The first group are some of the muscles in the back and the other is the group in the front of the body.
This stretch helps to target some of the muscles in the back – I’ve shown 2 variations of it.
- Start in a four-point position,
- Bring your bum to your heels,
- Walk your hands over to one side.
- Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on the other side.
- The other variation is done in standing. Both pictures are showing a stretch for the LEFT side of your back.
These next 2 stretches target the hip flexors (which travel to the front of the body). If you do anything for a long period of time – your body tries to make you better at it. So, if you sit for long periods, these muscles will try to make you better at sitting. Looking at the anatomy, when these muscles tighten, they can adversely pull on your back when you’re in any position that is NOT sitting (ie. Standing and walking).
- Kneel in a lunge position with some support
- Shift your weight forward until you feel a stretch in the front of the hip.
- Hold for 30 seconds.
- Or lay with one leg off the edge your bed
- Hold the other knee towards your chest
- Hold for 30 seconds and repeat for the other side
There are also things like Core Strengthening, which is a MUST for dealing with Low Back Pain – we’ll be covering that in a future blog.
If any of these stretches cause MORE pain than you initially had, then please stop them and talk to one of our Markham physiotherapists. We’re here (virtually or in-person) to help you stay pain free and to keep you moving!
