Low Back Pain: Quick Tips to Relieve Stress and Feel Better

Quick Tips to Relieve Low back Pain

Eighty percent of the adult population experiences low back pain at some point in their lives. Try these tips to reduce your pain.

Tip #1: Sitting Position To Reduce Low Back Pain

Here are a few tips to find your neutral spinal position.

1. Place your bottom at the base of your chair. You want your bottom to reach the back of the chair (BUTT TO CRACK ☺) 
2. Space your knees hip width apart
3. Next, make sure your feet are touching the ground. You can adjust the chair height if necessary or add yoga blocks or a stool underneath your feet for added support.
4. Now find the following points of contact for a relaxed back
   1. Weight on sit bones
   2. Bottom to back of chair
   3. Bottom of shoulder blades rest on chair
   4. Lower back natural curve away from chair
      1. Can place a small lumbar roll for contact support
      2. Typically, office chairs have lumbar curvature built in 

Tip #2: Address Spinal mobility – Cat/Cow

1. Start in quadruped or all fours position
2. Make sure your hands are directly below your shoulders and knees are directly under your hips
3. Arch your low back and look up
4. Then, reverse curve and round your whole back into a “C” shape while looking down

Tip #3: Core stabilization – Bird dog

1. Start in quadruped position (hands and knees)
2. Make sure your hands are directly below your shoulders and knees are directly under hips
3. As best as you can find neutral pelvis, low back slightly arched
4. To engage your core, slightly shift forward to place weight onto your hands
5. Reach with an arm and the opposite leg. Then, return to starting position
6. Alternate between sides

Tip #4: Glute Activation

1. Start lying on your back with your knees bent and feet hip distance apart
2. Press through your feet (balls and heel) to lift up
3. Lift body up until you feel your butt (if you feel in your back, you’ve lifted too high)
4. Slowly lower back down to your starting position

If you want to find more videos to help reduce low back pain and strengthen your hips, check out our Youtube channel. We are also always here to help you at Atlanta PT. You can call to for a 30 minute complimentary session today to see if PT is the right fit for you.