If you’re reading this, there’s a solid chance you’ve experienced low back pain at least once in your life. It’s not fun. Standing up and walking around like you either put too much starch in your clothes or a loaded diaper is not flattering in the least. There are, however, some ways to both combat and prevent this silly walk.
Meat and Potatoes
The cause(s) of your pain could stem from a variety of reasons. Constant sitting for your job, history of injuries, a weak core, or you could have some biomechanic inefficiencies. Despite what caused it, this specific page is geared to help you correct it with movements in the sagittal plane (forward to backward movement)
Lower Cross Syndrome
One of the most popular causes that we’ve seen involves your pelvis and it’s positioning. In short, lower cross syndrome is the after math of muscle imbalances. Often seen with repetitive and prolonged sitting, the hip flexors, quadriceps, and erector spinae / paraspinals tighten up. The consequence, that crapped pants walking look.
Corrective Measures
Posterior Pelvic Tilts
Lay on your back, knees bent and feet flat. Push your lower back into the floor and hold for a second or two. You cannot do this without using your core. You may also feel a stretch in your lower back while doing so.
Cat Cow
Get onto your hands and knees for this one having your hands and knees under your shoulders and hips, respectfully. In a similar way to the posterior pelvic tilts, push your back to the ceiling, resembling a pissed off cat. Return to the starting position and repeat.
Prayer / Frogger Stretch
After your Cat Cows, stay on your hands and knees. Push your hips back and “sit” on your heels. Your arms should be straight and your knees can be spread a bit to get a better stretch.
Dynamic Hip Flexor Stretch
Take a position to how Tim Tebow looked after every game (especially wins) but with a more upright torso. Using a pillow for cushioning under your knee, kneel tall with good posture. Squeeze your butt and keep your back neutral by pushing your lower back to the rear (like the first two exercises). Hold each glute contraction for 5 seconds and relax for 5 seconds. Repeat 10 times per leg.
Final Thoughts
Add these to your daily routine. Hold each stretch for upwards of 30 seconds. Modify movements and times respectively.
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