Stretches for Midday Back Pain

According to the National Centers for Health Statistics, back pain is the leading cause of disability for Americans under 45 years old. More than 26 million Americans between the ages 20-64 suffer from frequent back pain and is listed as the most frequent cause of chronic pain. Although there are things we can do to help relieve back pain, it is important to discover the underlying cause of the back pain so we can fix the underlying issue. 

A lot of times, back pain is related to sitting at a desk majority of the time and living in inactive lifestyle. When we sit for the majority of the day, everyday, the muscles in our spine that are meant to move become immobile and in turn, become weak. When the happens, your spine is forced to work harder when we perform certain movements like bending, twisting and rotating. After a long period of time, this causes the muscle and tissue of the back to become inflamed, agitated and injured. This is where chronic back pain comes in and becomes a problem in so many people in today's world. So, in order to try to prevent this from happening, or to try to help with back pain you currently have, try setting a timer for every 60 minutes while you are at work. When this timer goes off, get up and perform one or two of the following stretches.

• Standing Lat Stretch
• Stand upright with the hands clasped behind the head and feet shoulder-width apart. 
• Without bending forward, lean to the left side as if your back is up against a wall. Look up at your right elbow and keeping the spine as tall as possible.
•  Hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds and repeat on the other side.
•  Repeat two times on each side.
• Standing Quad Stretch
• Stand upright and bring the heel of the left foot toward the left glutes.
•  Using the left hand, grasp the top of the left foot near the ankle. 
•  Squeezing the left glute muscle, stand as upright as possible while bringing the left knee in line with the right knee. Slightly push the hips forward while bringing the left heel toward the left glute. 
•  Hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds and then switch sides. 
• Repeat twice on each leg.
• Standing Pigeon
• Stand upright and bend the right knee and place the outside of the right ankle right above the left knee.
•  Keeping the hips facing forward and the spine tall (keep the chest up), slowly bend the left knee while pushing the hips back. 
• Continue to bend the knee, keeping the hips forward and the spine tall, until a substantial stretch is felt in the right glute area. 
• Hold this position for 15-30 seconds.
•  Repeat twice on each leg.