"If your back hurts, stretch it." While there is definitely some truth to this statement, knowing how to stretch, what to stretch, when to stretch, and what not to stretch is just as important for preventing and alleviating back pain. A stretching program that addresses back pain management must address your individual postural habits and muscular imbalances.
Identification
Your spinal column, which runs down the center of your back, is comprised of muscles, ligaments, tendons and bones that facilitate forward, backward and lateral movement, while supporting the bulk of your body weight. Seven vertebrae form the cervical spine, which supports your neck, and 12 vertebrae create your thoracic spine, located near your chest and ribs. The lower back or lumbar area has five vertebrae. Your sacrum is the shield-shaped bone that connects your spine to your pelvis, and coccyx, comprised of fused vertebrae, sits at the bottom of your spinal column. Fluid-filled disks connect and protect each vertebra. Anything that limits the spine's ability to move will cause back pain. Stretching exercises may restore functionality.
Function
The spine, which resembles a long, heavy chain, functions as such. When tight muscles cause faulty movement patterns in one part of the spine, the entire vertebral column reacts. A chronically rounded upper back, for example, may cause you to slouch and shift most of your weight to your lumbar region, thereby compressing the disks in the lower vertebral column and causing pain. Stretching therefore has two distinct functions. It causes a relaxation response, and it moves the muscles into their proper position. The office worker whose workspace causes him to slouch can move his chair away from the desk, bend at the waist and hold on to the edge of his desk, placing the spine in a long, flat position, restoring its natural alignment and potentially alleviating pain. Meanwhile, the statically held stretch creates a neurological response called the golgi-tendon reflex, which causes the surrounding muscles to relax.
Types
Therapists prescribe static and dynamic stretches for their back pain patients. Static stretches involve holding a position for 20 to 60 seconds. The knees-to chest stretch is an example. Lie supine with your knees bent. Lift your legs from the floor, and use your arms to draw your legs toward your chest. Hold the stretch for 20 to 60 seconds. The cat is a dynamic flexibility exercise. Kneel on all fours, draw your belly in, tilt your pelvis and round your upper back, as if you were an angry cat. Repeat 10 times daily.
Considerations
The knees to chest and cat stretch may alleviate back pain for people who tend toward a swayback or arched lower back, but some people have the opposite problem. People who hold their pelvis in a chronic tilt, often described as "tucking under," require extension exercises for pain alleviation. Lie prone, with your arms extended above your head. Simultaneously lift your head, your chest, your right leg and your left arm from the floor. Pause in the position, and repeat on the opposite side. Perform 10 repetitions, or five to each side.
Time Frame
Most people are at their stiffest when they first wake up in the morning, so static stretches may be uncomfortable at that time of the day. It's easier to stretch after you have elevated your body temperature, so take a warm shower, perform some light aerobic activity or active flexibility exercises before attempting to hold a deep static stretch.
