Back pain is a reality that too many of us deal with each day. Stressful lifestyles, prolonged periods of standing, or hours seated at desks in front of a computer contribute to tension, pain, and poor posture. Unfortunately, most of us do not address the strain on our backs, necks and shoulders until we are immobilized by it.

Back pain can make it impossible to lift, bend, or turn, and too often, the wrong kind of movement can take you out of commission for as much as a couple of weeks. What’s more, the relief that comes following a doctor’s visit, a message, or even a chiropractic adjustment is only a temporary fix. Medications simply dull the pain, and allow you to work through it. In many cases these treatments cause you to do even more damage to your back, as you ignore your body’s message of discomfort. Add to that the addictive nature of most pain medications, and you could end up with a severely compromised way of life.

Massage and chiropractic care are more effective at providing relief from the pain, and a steady regimen of spinal adjustments combined with message can do wonderful things for your back. These treatments can get awfully expensive, though, and are not generally covered by insurance companies. The good news is, there are several simple stretches and exercises you can do anywhere that will improve your strength and posture and probably save you the cost and inconvenience of both missing work and visiting the doctor. Combining these exercises with an occasional message or chiropractic adjustment can leave you feeling fabulous nearly all the time.

Standing Exercises

Door stretch: Stand erect in a doorway, feet shoulder-width apart. Raise your arms, resting your hands and forearms vertically against the doorway, and lean forward, remembering to breathe. Maintain this stretch for twenty seconds and repeat three times.

Shoulder Squares: Stand erect, feet shoulder width apart. Remembering to breathe, slowly shrug shoulders up toward your ears. Then smoothly move your shoulders back, as though you were trying to touch your shoulder blades together. Lower your shoulders, maintaining the closeness of your shoulder blades, then relax into your original position. Repeat ten times.

Lying Down

Leg Lifts: Lying on your back with your arms at your sides, slowly lift your right leg to a forty-five degree angle, and bring back down in a slow, controlled motion. Remember to breathe. Repeat with the left leg. Do ten repetitions for each leg.

Lumbar Stretches: Lying on your back with your arms at your sides, slowly raise your knees so that your calves are parallel to the floor. Remember to breathe. Turn your lower body to the right and hold for twenty seconds. Return to your original position and repeat on the left side. Repeat three times on each side.

Sphinx: Lying face down with your arms bent, and hands at your shoulders, slowly raise your upper body in a kind of quasi-push up, lifting your chin high and breathing deeply. Hold for twenty seconds. Repeat three times.

OSC delivers superb orthopedic care to patients of all ages. Visit our web page on spinal issues for more information.

http://www.osc-ortho.com delivers superb orthopedic care to patients of all ages. Visit http://www.osc-ortho.com/services/spine.html for more information.

Author Bio: OSC delivers superb orthopedic care to patients of all ages. Visit our web page on spinal issues for more information.

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