Countless people around the world suffer from back pain, ranging from merely uncomfortable to practically paralyzing. Why is back pain so common today? One reason lies in something most of us do too much of at work without realizing what it's doing to us...
Are you enduring back pain day after day? Did you once suffer from one kind of back pain or another? Would you be surprised to learn that the back pain probably wasn't a problem in your back itself?
The reality is that our modern lifestyles lead us to regularly bend our bodies into positions that are biologically abnormal for us for long periods of time. Specifically,
whether we’re working at our desk for 8, 9, 10 hours a day; driving to work; relaxing in front of the TV, etc: we’re sitting, and the body isn't designed to be in that position for very long. Just watch the National Geographic Channel when they're featuring tribes that still live as people did pre-"civilization" - You'll see they're almost never sitting in one place for as long as we do these days.
Personally, I consider myself a modern man; I’m not that old-school. So while I love exercising, outside that, when I'm doing my job, or driving, or out with friends, or enjoying entertainment: I'm normally sitting. Truth is, I basically spend the majority of most days more or less parked on my derriere. And I’m willing to bet that's true even for you too. The trap is even if we’re aware of this issue and try to do better in our personal time, many of us still can’t get away from the long hours of chair-riding at our job.
The end result: Our body becomes misaligned – in particular the hips. After an extended time period this way, the hips start to constantly pull too hard on the ligaments and tendons that connect it to the back. This pulling is the most common cause of the back pain people suffer from at some point in their life.
If you were to go to a typical doctor, you'd probably be told to do certain stretches to "fix" your back.
This "solution" has a serious flaw however...
The majority of these stretches purposely loosen the joints. But the critical point most doctors are not taught is that you don't want loose joints. Because tight joints are strong, stable joints that help you avoid getting painfully injured or strained to begin with.
Unlike such well-intentioned but misguided exercises, the following stretch you're about to get the instructions for works to keep your joints nice and tight to resist injury. It helps to reduce excessive muscle tightness and realigns your hips to relieve stress on your back. Do this great, easy stretch regularly and you'll almost certainly feel your back pain fade dramatically, and stop it from coming back...
The Hip Flexor Stretch: You seriously have to do this stretch if you sit all day at work. Sitting all day puts pressure on the hip flexor muscles. The muscle imbalance that results is a major cause of minor lower back pain (if you can call any back pain "minor"). It's totally avoidable - Stretching your hip flexor muscles properly several times a week will prevent this kind of lower back pain.
How To: Stand in a modified runner's stance, with right foot forward and left foot back, leg straight, forward foot flat on floor. Put your hands on your hips and keep your back and hips in straight alignment. Push forward with your hips, while maintaining your erect posture. Slowly, push your hips forward only until you feel a comfortable level of tension. Hold for a count of 10. Switch sides by reversing your leg stance and repeat. Continue alternating as you do multiple reps.
Give this a try. It works like a charm for me. If you're already following an exercise program that's even better; you can fit these into your warm-up session, for example. Start off every other day and go from there as results and feedback from your body direct you. Remember, consistency is vital - It'll work if you work it.
