Effective Stretching Exercises for Lower and Upper Back Pain
Pain management does not only include surgeries and medicines. Practising simple stretching exercises at home like abdominal crunches, hamstring stretches, planks and extensions can be effective.
In spite of eating medicines and opting for surgeries, performing simple stretching exercises can be effective in dealing with the problem of back pain. Stretching exercises help in reducing the tension in between the muscles supporting the spine, improves the range of motion, overall mobility and reduces the risk of disability. Let’s look at a few stretching forms which will help in dealing with the problem of back pain:
- Hamstring Stretch
One can perform the standing hamstring stretch to deal with the problem of back pain. To perform the same, one will have to bend forward at the waist with arms towards the ground and legs straight. It is not necessary to touch the toes while bending down as that will lead to a strain.
Patients suffering from back pain can also perform the chair hamstring stretch in which one will have to keep one leg on another chair and try to reach towards the toe. While performing the chair hamstring stretch, one should keep in mind that a single leg is stretched at a time and the chair should be kept in front of the body.
The third is the wall hamstring stretch which is performed on the floor. One has to lie down on the floor with legs up in the air and have to keep the knees straight. All these stretches should be done at least for 30-60 seconds for effective treatment of back pain. Certain chronic pain treatment centres can give training on hamstring stretches.
- Abdominal Crunch
It is important to strengthen the abdominal muscles while exercising to experience a reduction in the back pain. There are various benefits of doing the abdominal crunch including reducing the chances of back pain, prevent future injuries, improve healing, improve posture, etc. One should perform the abs after keeping the feet on the ball so that the entire focus is on the muscles and there is no strain on the back.
- Planks
To perform a plank, one has to lie down on the floor with head down and the entire balance being made by the forearms and toes. While performing the plank, one has to keep the torso portion tight and lift it in the air. Plank is the most effective exercise for dealing with lower back pain and should at least be done for 20-30 seconds. Planks should be performed at least five times with a gap of one minute.
- Extension
To perform the extension pose, one has to lie face-down on the floor and extend the feet behind him/her. The person performing the extension pose has to then lift the head and arch the back and support the upper body with arms. The elbows have to be kept straight and the hands by the side. Some of the back extension exercises are the Dart Move, Swimming Pose, Cow Pose, Swan Pose, etc.
In addition to these stretching exercises, one can do sideways bending, rotation stretch, ball crunches, Dumbbell Row, etc. to reduce the back pain in the body. Except for the stretching exercises, opting for physiotherapies and functional manual therapy is also suggested. Specific hands-on techniques are used in functional manual therapy which makes the treatment process easier. The FMT technique can also be used for severe neck pain treatment in Delhi as there are various centres who are performing this particular service.
Before performing these exercises, it is beneficial to consult a chronic pain management doctor as he/she will be able to guide correctly.
If someone is looking for a chronic pain management clinic in Delhi, then joining Vardaan is suggested. Vardaan offers pain management techniques without the use of machines or medications.