Odds are you’re one of the many people out there who suffer from chronic back pain and occasionally find it hard to engage in even the most basic of physical activities. When back pain hits, even basic things like sitting, standing, or walking can be excruciating. While lower back pain is more frequent, many people also suffer from chronic upper or mid-back pain, both of which can be debilitating and affect the quality of one’s life.
Even if you don’t feel like being active, you should do your best to engage in some form of physical activity, according to our Calgary-based spine clinic professionals. Numerous medical studies have shown that exercise for back pain – moving and engaging in physical activity, can actually significantly alleviate your pain by strengthening the muscles around your back.
Back exercises and stretches
There are a number of useful back pain exercises and stretches that can ease both upper and lower backaches and provide extensive pain relief. Often, mere misuse and muscle atrophy exacerbates the problem.
Core and lower back strengthening
Core strengthening exercises, such as sit-ups, crunches, abdominal machines, leg raises and hyperextensions can help improve the situation by strengthening the surrounding muscles. ‘Good-mornings’ – standing with your legs straight and shoulder width apart, with a broomstick or weighted bar across your shoulders, and slowly bending down to touch your toes – is a popular exercise to strengthen the lower back muscles.
Upper back exercises and stretches
There are also a number of very useful exercises and stretches to do for upper back pain. Our professional chiropractors here at our spinal clinic in Calgary recommend the following:
Pectoralis stretch: Stand in an open doorway with both hands slightly above your head on the door frame or wall. Slowly lean forward until you feel a stretch in the front of your shoulders. Hold 15 to 30 seconds. Repeat 3 times.
Scapular squeeze: While sitting or standing with your arms to your sides, try and squeeze your shoulder blades together and then hold for 5 seconds. Do 2 sets of 15.
Thoracic extension: Sit in a chair and place both arms behind your head. Slowly and gently arch backward and aim to look up towards the ceiling. Repeat that 10 times. Try and do this several times each day.
But there’s a lot more that a professional chiropractor clinic in Calgary can do for chronic pain sufferers. Chiropractors can perform non-surgical manipulation and adjustments that can provide quick pain relief, show you proper sitting techniques and help you make simple workplace changes to alleviate triggers that make your situation worse.
If the pain persists despite your best efforts, it’s time to come in and have a professional Alberta Back and Neck Rehab chiropractor take care of you. We specialize in lower and upper and mid-back pain treatment and have all the state-of-the-art tools and expertise to relieve that cumbersome pain. Schedule an appointment with us now!
