Starting off with a seated hip flexion, seated trunk rotation, and different arm movements will help loosen up the muscles.
Then beginning with exercises, pelvic tilts and bridges do a great job of strengthening the hips and back as well as stretch the areas out.
Next, go into stretches after the muscles have been moving with a supine trunk rotation, knee to chest, and a hamstring stretch in long sitting. These will help loosen tight muscles around the back and hips.
Now, go to all fours, or quadruped for a cat/cow or cat/dog and a prayer stretch or child’s pose.
Finally in a seated position, a thoracic side bend and deep breathing with a jumping jack motion will help the mid to upper back as well.
The upper back can be a hard area to stretch. Tight rhomboid muscles and other muscles around the shoulder and neck can cause upper back pain. My favorite stretch for the upper back area is a seated rhomboid stretch.
A herniated disc can be very debilitating. Sometimes a nerve can get compressed, and there will also be numbness and tingling going down one leg. These stretches and exercises should help relieve the pain.
Lower back pain can make it difficult to perform everyday activities. Here are some of my favorite back stretches & exercises that can help provide low back pain relief and strengthen back muscles.
These back pain relief stretches don't necessarily need to be done in bed, but they are a great way to help relieve back pain in the morning before getting up, and/or when going to bed at night.
Mid back pain (also called middle back pain or thoracic back pain) can make it difficult to perform everyday activities. Here are 3 of my favorite mid back stretches to help relieve pain & tightness.
For a herniated disc, to relieve the back pain, you want to do extension exercises and stretches to help push the disc back into the space in your spine.
Mid back pain can make it difficult to perform everyday activities. Here are some of my favorite mid back stretches and exercises to help relieve the pain.
When trying to find the perfect mattress to help relieve and prevent back pain, the main thing to look for is a mattress that has the right amount of support to help keep your spine in proper alignment, or a neutral position. The mattresses designed by Back Science are designed specifically to help improve overall sleep posture, keep the spine optimally aligned, and reduce muscle and joint pressure throughout the back and neck.
Therapeutic Yoga can help relieve back pain by incorporating physical therapy & yoga. Trudy, a fellow PT & registered yoga teacher, stops by to show me stretches & exercises for back pain relief.
This 20-minute back pain relief stretching & exercise routine is done in real-time so it’s easy to follow along. Since back & hip muscles are often the same groups of muscles, it may also help relieve hip pain.
