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Easy steps to relieve lower back pain

Fitness
 Woman in pain: Photo; Courtesy

Does your lower back hurt when you stand, sit or lie down? Posture changes during pregnancy, bulging discs, exercise mishaps and muscle strains are the most common culprits known to lead to such pain.

Most cases such lower back pain improve within just a few weeks with some simple exercise and lifestyle changes. But if the pain persist, then its best to seek attention from your doctor.

Here are more steps you can incorporate in your programme:

Work out your core area

Target your inner abs, outer abs and lower back. When training your abs, don’t just focus on your outer abdominal muscles (the six pack). You need to also strengthen your inner abs, which is a bit deep in the core that helps keep your spine stable. To do this, lie on your back with your knees slightly bent and your feet shoulder width apart.

Slowly breathe out and reach your hands towards the ceiling as if you are trying to grab something above you, raising your head and shoulders. Now hold in that position for two to five seconds then breathe while lowering your shoulders back to the floor. Do this repeatedly until you complete at least three sets of 10 reps three to five day a week.

Be more physical active

Avoid being sedentary and move more. Increasing your general physical activity now and then has been always been recommended for both acute and chronic low back pain. It doesn’t have to be anything strenuous but at least walk or even swim often. You can do strength training programmes and yoga because such activities provide that much need relief sooner than you expect.

Stretch out that sciatica

This is the tightness in the lower back muscle that runs from the back of the thighbone to base of the spine. Such tightness cause pain that is linked to numbness, tingling and weakness around the hip area and legs.

To stretch this out, lie on back with both of your knees slightly bent and cross the calf on the in pain leg across the other thigh. Then wrap your hands around the back of your legs and slowly pull towards until you feel a stretch in your butt. Hold on to that position for 15 to 20 seconds. Do like 8 to 10 reps, three to four a week.

Get a new mattress

If you are sleeping on either too soft, too hard or just worn out mattress then you are sleeping on the wrong mattress. All these can actually worsen lower back pain by simply throwing off the spine alignment therefore straining your lower back.

Opt for a medium to high density but not firm mattress and replace the worn out one because people who switch out their mattresses before their period lapses sleep significantly better and have less back pains than those who wait longer.

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