A lot of my patients get lower back pain and/or stiffness due to sitting for long periods of time. Whether it’s sitting at your desk, or working on your computer, long drives in the car, long airline trips, or even bleacher seats at ball games, sitting can trigger back pain, especially as we get older.

Did you know that 80 to 90% of all Americans will experience back pain in their lives? It’s true!

And in addition to chiropractic adjustments, stretching the right muscles is one of the best ways to avoid chronic back pain…especially if you have trouble sitting for a long period of time.

The bottom line is as we age, we lose flexibility. And if we don’t stretch your flexibility will be even worse. And if you sit at a desk all day, you make things even worse. So it’s important to keep the right muscles stretches and flexible, and this will help decrease your back pain too!

So today I want to show you a quick and easy stretch for low back pain that will benefit you. What you want to do is stretch the front of your hips and legs either daily or every other day. This area of your body is called your “hip flexors.” If you sit all day, you put a lot of pressure and stress on your hip flexors. And if your hip flexors get tight and stiff, it will lead to low back pain. Here’s a simple stretch for your hip flexors…

What you want to do is stand in a runner’s stance, with your right foot forward and your left foot back, with your feet flat on the floor. Then, either put your hands on your hips or have a chair next to you that you can hold on to for support. Make sure you keep your back and hips in straight alignment. Next, push your hips forward while keeping your back straight. Slowly, keep moving your hips forward until you feel a comfortable level of tension in your upper leg. Hold for 10 to 15 seconds. Then switch sides and do the other leg. Do each side 3 times.

If you sit for long periods of time each day, you should find this stretch to be very beneficial. If you have any questions about how to do it properly, either email me or ask me the next time you are in the office for an adjustment.

Have a great day and I’ll talk to you soon!

Sincerely,

Dr. Steve Alff, D.C.