Lower back pain from sitting for a long time, it turns out this part is too stiff! 5 stretching exercises to KO

Are you suffering from annoying back pain that makes you grit your teeth every time you bend over? A well-known Japanese fitness coach said that in order to improve low back pain problems, in addition to correcting bad sitting posture, improving muscle flexibility is the key! When the human body lacks activity, the muscles will become stiff and tight, causing soreness and discomfort. Therefore, if you want to get rid of low back pain fundamentally, it is very important to move actively and activate the waist and hip muscles through moderate stretching exercises.

Sitting too long is bad for your health! Lack of activity, muscle stiffness, and low back pain

Why do human muscles suddenly become stiff? In fact, this must be attributed to the sedentary and lack of exercise lifestyle of modern people. According to a survey report conducted in China in 2015, 36% of the respondents sat for more than 9 hours a day; and nearly 10% of the people sat for more than 12 hours a day, which is shocking!

In fact, sitting for a long time will not only make your belly and buttocks bigger, but also put a great burden on the waist and hip muscles, causing them to gradually become tight and stiff due to lack of activity; this will in turn lead to poor blood circulation and cause symptoms such as low back pain and sciatica. If its seriousness is ignored, the patient's walking ability may be reduced in old age due to atrophy of the waist and hip muscles.

This is how to solve annoying back pain! Do 5 stretching exercises to improve muscle flexibility and relieve pain

In his book "The World's Most Effective Stretching Method", the well-known Japanese fitness coach and health instructor James Shuichi Nakano mentioned that once the flexibility of the human body's buttocks muscles or spinal erector muscles decreases, it is easy to cause low back pain. Therefore, if you want to relieve back pain, in addition to changing your bad sitting posture and stretching your muscles after working for a while, you can also do the following five stretching exercises to help activate the iliopsoas and piriformis muscles (six muscles of hip external rotation) to effectively prevent muscle stiffness and improve back pain:

Tip 1 / Exercise the gluteus maximus:

Sit cross-legged, extend one leg slightly forward and place it on the pillow, place your hands on the floor, keep your waist and back straight, and while exhaling, lean your upper body forward and hold it still. Do the same on the other side.

Tip 2 / Exercise the gluteus maximus:

Kneel down first, then lean your upper body forward and place your hands on the floor. Bend the knee of the foot that is stepping out into a calf, as if it is parallel to the line of your shoulders. Extend the back foot backwards while exhaling and sink your waist as much as possible. Do the same on the other side.

Tip 3 / Exercise the iliopsoas muscle:

Stand next to the bed or bench, place the instep of the foot closest to the bed on the pillow, place one or both hands on the bed, let your waist sink while exhaling, keep it still, and do the same on the other side.

Tip 4 / Exercise the six external rotators of the hip joint:

Sit cross-legged, cross one leg over the other and place it on the outside of the knee. Straighten your back, exhale while twisting your upper body toward the side where your leg is crossed, pull your foot toward your chest, look back, and keep still. Do the same on the other side.

Tip 5 / Exercise the spinal erector muscles:

Get on all fours, bend your back into a bow shape while inhaling, then exhale while contracting your stomach, arching your back as much as possible.

Does it hurt when you bend over? Do these 2 stretching exercises first to relax

In addition to the above 5 moves, instructor James Shuichi Nakano also reminds that if the back pain is more serious and you feel pain just by bending forward, it is recommended to start with the following 2 moves. Not only does it help relieve discomfort, it's also relatively easy to do:

Tip 1 / Exercise the rectus abdominis:

Lie on your stomach, lift your upper body, place your elbows under your shoulders, exhale while contracting your stomach, then inhale through your nose to expand your stomach.

Tip 2 / Exercise the spinal erector muscles:

Lie on the resistance ball, let the ball roll forward while lying your upper body completely on it, with your hands and feet on the ground. Once you are stable, do not exert force on your waist, and maintain this position without moving.