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.
Therapeutic yoga focuses on gentle yoga or modification poses with breathing techniques. Trudy is not only a friend and mentor, but she is also from Canada! So if you are a Canadian viewer, make sure to give her a shout-out in the comments. And Canadian or not, make sure you visit her website!
The first stretch is for back pain relief is for the psoas muscle. Lengthening the psoas can help relieve pressure and tightness in the back.
Next is a stretch for the quadratus lumborum (QL). The QL can cause the pelvis to not move freely which can cause a lot of back pain.
Finally, some core strengthening is a great way to keep the back strong and stable.
The biggest myth about back arthritis pain relief is that exercise makes the condition worse. However, this couldn't be further from the truth. One of the most beneficial exercises for back arthritis is bridging. Bridge exercises are great to do every day, but make sure to progress slowly so it doesn’t get inflamed.
Osteoporosis develops when the structure and strength of bone changes. This can cause decrease in bone strength which can increase the risk of breaking bones. These gentle exercises for osteoporosis, when done at one’s own pace, can help prevent further decline and help protect the bones.
Low back pain can make it difficult to perform everyday activities. Here are three of my favorite lower back pain relief stretches that can be done lying down.
Percussive Massage Therapy using a massage gun (aka percussion massager) for back pain relief uses fast, soft pulses over a short amount of time to get deep down into the muscle fibers.
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.
Lumbar spinal stenosis can press on the spinal cord and the nerves that travel through the spine. Symptoms include pain or cramping in the legs when standing for long periods or when walking.
In this video, I teamed up with Dr. Jen, a pelvic floor physical therapist who also happens to be pregnant! She'll show you her top 5 exercises to help relieve low back pain when you are pregnant by mobilizing and stabilizing the pelvis.
A rhomboid stretch is great for the rhomboid muscles because they tend to get overworked and tight easily. Many rhomboid stretches require someone to get in an uncomfortable position or down on the floor. This simple modified rhomboid stretch can be done sitting in a chair or on the couch.
People who have back pain will often experience it when they first get up in the morning. These quick stretches should help relieve back pain before even getting out of bed!
