With so many responsibilities to take care of each day, it is natural to push away thoughts of pain, especially back pain, and resort to temporary measures to ease it for the time being. However, when your body experiences pain, it is actually a cry for help.
Ignoring a back ache can have drastic consequences, and in some cases, it can be so severe that the damage caused can be irreversible. A lower back pain should be treated immediately and given the right amount of professional care and attention.
1. Just stand up and sit down ‘not using hands’
If you stand up and sit down (over and over) without using your hands – it can be a challenge. Do it while you’re on the phone, no one will know.
2. Substitute exercise ball for sitting – while you work
Get rid of your desk chair and substitute an exercise ball. All day you are engaging all the muscles in the back specially core muscles to stay balanced.
3. Release the whole back with a torso twist
Inhale and as you exhale, turn to the right and grab the back of your chair with your right hand, and grab the arm of the chair with your left.
Use your grasp on the chair to help twist your torso around as far to the back of the room as possible. Hold the twist and let your back continue the stretch – see how far around the room you can peer.
Slowly come back to facing forward.
Repeat on the other side.
4. Stretch your back with a “Big Hug”
Hug your body, placing the right hand on your left shoulder and the left hand on your right shoulder.
Breathe in and out, releasing the area between your shoulder blades.
5. Stretch your back and shoulders with a “Leg Hug”
Sit on the edge of your chair (if it has wheels, wedge the chair against the desk or wall to make sure it does not roll). Put your feet together, flat on the floor.
Lean over, chest to knees, letting your arms dangle loosely to the floor. Release your neck.
Now bring your hands behind your legs, right hand grasping left wrist, forearm (or elbow if you can reach that far), left hand grasping the right. Feel the stretch in your back, shoulders and neck. Hold.
Release your hands to the floor again.
Repeat three times or as often as it feels good.
6. Look up to release upper body
Sit up in your chair, or stand up. Stretch your arms overhead and interlock your fingers.
Turn the palms to the ceiling as you lift your chin up, tilt your head back, and gaze up at the ceiling, too.
Inhale, exhale, release.
7. Substitute walks for email
Instead of emailing a colleague and copying 25 people who don’t want to be copied anyway, walk over to the colleague you really want to talk to.
