Gentle exercise helps release body tension and restore flexibility to the entire spine, including lumbar, dorsal, and cervical.
Spending many hours sitting in a chair has many consequences for our physical and mental health, but one of the biggest victims is our back. A sedentary lifestyle has a special impact on the muscles of the lumbar area and pelvis, which tend to shorten.
In turn, many of the exercises that are done to counteract sedentary lifestyle – such as walking, running or cycling – can also leave their mark on the hip and especially on the posterior muscle chain, causing stiffness in the network of tissues that surround the muscles of that area. This results in painful muscle overloads and contractures.
WHY ARE LUMBAR LOADS AND HOW TO AVOID IT?
After a long day of work, an exercise session or many hours wearing heels, the lower back needs some pampering: it has supported all the weight of the trunk, arms and head, and has also absorbed as a “shock absorber” the pressures of the lower body, through the feet, legs and pelvis.
The posterior muscle chain, formed by the muscles from the soles of the feet to the cervical muscles, is interconnected like a long row of dominoes. The muscles are covered with a tissue, the fasciae, which connect the entire chain.
The stability of one muscle directly influences the others in that chain that are next, whether they are close or farther away. Therefore, when one contracts, imbalances occur in all the others.
If, in addition, the spine has not been well aligned, due to incorrect postural placement or because the muscles are not strong enough to support it, the lumbar will have accused an overload.
As always, prevention is best.
To keep the lumbar free of pressure and tension you have to keep the muscles of this area elongated and elastic, that is, exercise them to achieve a long, flexible, mobile size, with an elongated belly and waist so that they act as a natural girdle or corset.
This separates the thorax from the pelvis and relieves pressure on the vertebrae.
In general, it is important to be aware of body posture and the way in which the body is used when lifting weights or performing movements that require strength: use the legs and not the back, squat keeping your back straight and hold the object to be lifted close to the body. If several loads are carried, it is better to balance them on both sides.
It is also advisable to change position when sitting for a long time and get up from time to time, in addition to trying to wear only occasionally high-heeled shoes or platforms.
Avoid lying on your stomach, as it increases lumbar curvature, and prefer to sleep on your side, in a fetal position. Finally, it is worth asking yourself if some negative emotions or worries are contracting this part of the back.
EXERCISES TO RELAX THE BACK
For the base of the back to remain flexible and relaxed, the leg muscles must be endowed with an optimal degree of elasticity, vital to improve neuromuscular coordination.
Stretching returns lost flexibility to this area, releases body tension and helps prevent the formation of contractures.
YOGA ASANA TO RELAX THE LOWER BACK
To relax the lumbar area, you can place yourself in the so-called “child’s posture” proposed by yoga:
- Kneeling on the floor, sit on your heels with your forehead flat on the floor and your hands toward your feet.
- You can also bring your arms in front of your head, breathing regularly and relaxing your back with each exhalation.
A TORSION THAT PROVIDES IMMEDIATE RELIEF TO THE LOWER BACK
- Lie on your back, bend your knees and bring them to your chest.
- Extend your arms on the floor with your palms up and turn your legs and hips to the left until they touch the ground, without taking your shoulders off the ground.
- Slowly turn your head to the right, away from your knees. Relax your back and stay that way for 30-60 seconds.
- Gradually bring the legs and head back to the center. Repeat the posture to the other side.
RPG TO STRETCH THE LUMBAR
The specific exercise that we propose here allows the stretching of the lumbar, dorsal and cervical areas, but at the same time of the adductors, the internal muscles of the legs.
It is a restorative exercise that relaxes the back, relaxes the hip, relaxes the groin and allows you to enjoy movement again without discomfort.
This stretching is one of the basic postures of the RPG (Global Postural Rehabilitation) and is very similar to the asana of the reclining goddess of yoga, which considers it a resting posture:
- Lie on your back, place both arms at your sides, in a “V” shape and with your palms facing up. The elbows should be relaxed and slightly flexed.
- Bring the soles of your feet together and let your knees open to your sides, gently. Keep in mind that “sideways”, because it is not about taking them down as to open. The back does not have to move, nor does the lumbar area have to be curved, which must touch the ground at all times.
You can try some of these variations:
- Turn the tips of the feet outwards, without separating the heels
- Bend your legs less.