When back and neck pain strike, there are exercises that can help mitigate the pain and restore mobility and strength. Your pain could be due to a variety of reasons, including poor body mechanics, facet restriction, a postural misalignment or a developing or completed disc herniation. However, it is up to your therapist or doctor to design the proper rehabilitation program to suit your individual needs.
Mechanical Reasons
Poor body mechanics contribute to neck and back pain. If you maintain forward or flexed positioning of the neck and back, pain will ensue due to the increased muscle tension or shortening created by this faulty posture. Exercises to correct this dysfunction involve extending the neck and back. For the neck, this means holding your head erect placing your fingers on your chin. Then, gently push your chin backward, causing your neck to straighten. For the back, you need to lie on your stomach, prop up on your elbows, breathe deeply, and then exhale, letting your low back sag. Performing 10 push-ups by straightening the elbows and leaving the hips in place is an advanced form of extending your lower back.
Facet Restrictions
A facet joint is a flattened bony lip portion of the vertebrae extending from each vertebral body to form a joint. These joints help to stabilize your spine by limiting twisting movements at each vertebral level. If, however, you bend forward and turn simultaneously, it is possible to experience pain in both the neck and low back due to a locking of these small joints. A derotation exercise works best to unlock this joint. Lying on the side of your pain, crossing your arms and placing your hands on opposite shoulders, and rolling your upper body backwards can help eliminate this pain. However, It would be best to consult a physical therapist for supervision with the proper technique for this exercise..
Structural Misalignments
Postural misalignment, such as scoliosis, refers to a curvature in the spine which involves the rotation of a subset of vertebrae, causing the vertebral column to bow outward or inward. This causes muscle shortening on the inside of the bow and muscle stretching on the outside of the bow. Exercises for this condition simply focus on stretching the tightened musculature, contracting the stretched musculature, and derotating the vertebrae at the appropriate level. An example of an exercise for a S scoliotic curve is to assume a position on hands and knees, extend your right arm in front of you (stretches your right upper trunk) and your left leg behind yourself (stretching your left low back), both at trunk level.
Disc Herniations
Probably one of the most critical causes of your neck and back pain is a developing or total disc herniation. This involves pathology of the disc space, the shock absorber between each vertebral level. Each disc space is comprised of an inner gel-like material, or nucleus pulposus, enveloped by outer cartilaginous rings, also known as the annulus fibrosis. A disc bulge, which can progress to a herniation, occurs when the nucleus pulposus begins to seep out of the disc space and encroach upon adjacent spinal nerves. Exercises prescribed for this type of condition closely resemble the exercises that were delineated in Section 1. These exercises are designed to gently push the nucleus pulposus back into place.
Back and Neck Strengthening
Finally, it is important to strengthen the musculature of your neck and back. For your neck, this involves performing neck isometrics. Start by placing your hand on your forehead as if to prevent head movement. Push your head forward against your hand. Hold this contraction for 5 seconds, relax, and repeat five times. Repeat this exercise, moving your hand accordingly to block head motion backwards, sideways, and turning in each direction. For your back, core strengthening is necessary. For instance, once on hands and knees, you pull your naval inwards, hold this position, then raise your straightened right leg and left arm to trunk level. Hold this position for 3 seconds,and then alternate with the left leg and right arm. Repeat 10 times.
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