Lower Back Pain

Did you know that according to the National Institute of Health, 8 out of 10 people experience some sort of lower back pain during their lives? Typically, this happens in adulthood when we become more sedentary.

If you are someone who sits all day for work then you have most likely felt this nagging pain in your lower back. The good news is that you don’t have to suffer forever. Research has shown that with some light aerobic activity, core strengthening and some simple stretches, you can be on the road to alleviating some of this pain.

– RELATED: How To Activate Your Glutes For Optimal Health –

Some simple core-strengthening exercises you can perform to help improve your posture and that also encourage a correct pelvic tilt would include:

• Dead bugs
• Bird Dogs
• Lying windshield wipers with knees bent

But core strength is just one piece of the puzzle. Why is your back tightening up from sitting?

When you sit for hours at a desk or even in a car, typically we tend to slouch which increases stress in our back, shoulders, arms, and legs. We tend to forget about our core muscles when we are sitting which in turn is causing shortening of the hip flexors, leaving them feeling very tight and locked-up.

When your hip flexors are being shortened, it causes a pelvic tilt that is going to lead to lengthening and tightening of your hamstrings. When all of the muscles of your posterior chain are being lengthened, it then forces the lumbar spine into a forward bent posture position. When this occurs, not only do you tend to suffer from low back pain, but you also might start experiencing signs of sciatica as well as a lot of tightness throughout your upper back. So it is going to be very important to loosen this area up while simultaneously learning how to properly engage your core.

In order to loosen up your hip flexors, here are some great stretches that you can start incorporating into your daily routine.

• Kneeling hip flexor stretch
• Cat cow
• Spiderman stretch
• Pigeon stretch

Alleviating lower back pain doesn’t have to come at a big cost, especially if you deal with these issues as soon as they arise. But if you wait too long to address these issues, it can lead to a pretty serious injury. So take the time, listen to your body, and try adding in some of these core exercise and stretches into your normal routine.