Dr. Ali Akhavan Health Blog

Avoid 5 Common Mistakes People Make when their back goes out.

I would guess that at one point or another you have had some type of pain or spasm in your back. This is a pretty safe assumption. I would bet that you have also had some kind of problem that was brought on by something very small. Let me give you an example. You wake up in the morning and walk into the bathroom and as you go to squeeze the toothpaste out of the tube you drop the lid on the floor. So you bend down to pick it up and zap, lightning sharp ache shoots up your spinal column and back down again. You try to stand up straight but for some reason it feels like someone is pressing against your back causing you to hunch over and making it impossible to straighten up.

5 Back Exercises You Can Do at Work

Here are five back exercises you can do at work to reduce the stress of long hours of sitting:

1. Bird-Dog - Place both hands and knees squarely on the ground. While keeping your abs tight and your pelvis neutral (no excessive arching or sagging), slowly lift the opposite arm and leg off the ground. Extend both of them out while holding your head straight. While lifting the arm and leg, squeeze your glut and do not allow your hips to tilt. They should be square with the ground. Do slow reps (10) at 2 -3 sets, two or three times per week. You can simplify this by lifting only the leg.

2. Swimmers - Lay flat on the floor on your stomach. Fully extend your arms and legs. While keeping your forehead flat on the ground, slowly lift the opposite arm and leg off the ground. Do not bend the knee, imagine someone trying to pull your shoe off your foot as you lift the leg. Your hips should be pressed on the ground and your gluts should be tighten. Do not kick the leg up. (The movement is similar to the doggie bridges) Do 10 reps slowly at 2 - 3 sets, two or three times per week.

3. Figure 4 Stretch - Lay on your back. Cross one leg over the other as if you were sitting at a table. Reach through your legs and bring the crossed-leg position towards your chest. You will feel this on the outside of your gluts. Hold this stretch for 20-30 seconds, do 3-5 times on each side.