Back Pain Is Common
If you’re dealing with back pain in Guelph, you’re not alone. At function health + wellness, low back pain is one of the most common injuries that our chiropractors and massage therapists see on a daily basis. Which doesn’t come as a surprise, knowing that 85% of people will experience back pain at some point in their life.
While manual therapy plays an important role in the early stages of managing an injury, in our approach to care (link) we prioritize building strength and resilience so that you don’t become dependant on passive treatment alone.
Although the stretches and exercises we give to patients may differ from person to person, there are a few “staples” that anyone (whether injured or not) could benefit from doing on a weekly basis.
1. The Cat Cow for Low Back Mobility
This exercise is a chiropractor’s best friend: it is safe, accessible, and can be scaled and progressed based on where someone is in their recovery. If you asked me for 1 movement to help get things loosened up and moving more smoothly, it would be this one.
To perform the cat camel:
- Start on a flat surface on your hands and knees shoulder/hip width apart
- Keeping your shoulders and hips at the level they are, slowly let your belly button fall towards the floor. At the same time, slowly tilt your forehead towards the ceiling. Only move through a range of motion that is not causing pain*
- Once you reach your end point, reverse that movement and pull your belly button to your spine and up towards the ceiling. At the same time, let your chin tuck between your shoulders towards the floor. Again, only moving through a pain free range of motion
- Repeat these motions 10-15 times
Why does it help?
This gentle movement allows you to move your spine through a range of motion without a significant load on the body. Being able to take your joints through a range of motion without pain teaches your body that there is no threat to the body, slowly allowing it to decrease the fight or flight response that causes muscle guarding.
Moving your joints back and forth will allow help with pumping circulation, lubricating the joints and getting fresh blood and fluid into the area.
2. Modified Curl Up for Spine Stability
Believe it or not, sit-ups are one of the WORST things to do when you have an injured back. Sit-ups place your spine in a vulnerable flexion position while simultaneously adding a lot of shear force.
Enter, the Modified Curl-Up: Likely the most commonly prescribed exercises by our chiropractors and massage therapists.
- Lie on your back with 1 leg straight and the other bent with your foot on the ground
- Slide one or both of your hands under the arch of your low back
- Raise your head and the tips of your shoulder blades off of the floor until you feel your back press into your hands under you and a tightening of your core muscles
- Hold for 3-5 seconds and slowly lower down
*If you feel your abdominals shaking quite quickly with this, you are doing it RIGHT!
Why does it help?
The modified curl-up is great for activating your core muscles without putting the spine into extreme flexion. This teaches your body how to stabilize your spine and create a brace. This stable position can be translated into movements in your day to day (picking something up off the floor, reaching for something etc)
3. Bird-Dog for Core Integration
The main function of our “core” is to keep our midline stable and transfer force from our upper to lower body and vice versa. In other words, our core works to keep our spine stiff while are arms and legs move. The bird dog is a great example of keeping our core strong while our arms and legs move through a range of motion.
- Start on your hands and knees with a straight back
- Keeping your shoulders and hips parallel to the floor, slowly extend one leg back with the opposite arm reaching out in front of you.
- If this is too difficult at first, try just 1 arm or 1 leg to start
- Hold for 3-5 seconds and slowly return to starting position
- Switch sides and repeat
*Focus on limiting any movements from your spine, hips, or shoulders. For example, your belly button will likely want to fall towards the floor (like in a cat cow), when this happens focus on keeping your midline strong.
The bird dog can be a complex and challenging exercise when done correctly. Take your time and don’t be discouraged if it takes some time to get it right. What’s important is consistency, not perfection!
Something To Note Before You Start*
These movements should make you feel better, not worse! While these exercises are relatively low impact and safe, not every case of low back pain is the same. If you notice that any of these movements are painful to do or are making you feel worse, stop immediately and seek further medical care
Our goal at function health + wellness is to elevate the health of our Guelph community. An important piece in our treatment approach is to provide patients with the tools and resources they need to feel empowered to manage their back pain on their own, and these movements are a great start.
