I recently did PT for lower back stuff mostly related to sitting for long periods.
I went from constant “3-4” level pain to “0-1” pain. I’m still working on strengthening, and re-injured my back moving something heavy, but PT was a game changer.
A lot of stretching like the above video shows, as well as working on posture, sleeping position, as well as just overall education on how my muscles work and what to do when I feel them tighten up or feel an area swelling up.
It’s mostly simple stuff but requires habit changes and can be time consuming so you have to fit it into regular routines. Stretching before/after bed, while you brush teeth, etc.
You look weird randomly stretching on a stair while you stir your tea, but it can make a big difference.
Yup. It's sort of astonishing how neatly doing reasonably heavy deadlifts 1-2x a week just fixes basically all the usual lower back problems common to middle age and a lifestyle with a ton of sitting.
Along with the other good replies, I think almost any strength exercise that has any connection to the back will probably do fine, especially if you're not doing anything at all right now.
Among the many other things I had hammered into me about health when I was a kid in the late 1980s and 1990s that I've come to reject is the incessant hammerbeat about aerobics, aerobics, aerobics. I think the evidence is that the average person is better off with a lot more strength training, which will incidentally train you on some aerobics, and if you feel like occasionally folding some aerobics in, hey, go for it. They're not bad or anything. But they ought to be considered a specialist training, like working out legs specifically for biking, not a default that everybody do. Strength training is a default everybody should work on. Strength training isn't so you can lift 300 pounds when you help your friend move... it because it makes everything work better. You sleep better. Your back hurts less. You fall less. You build a better base for aging.
not an expert, but I talked to my physical trainer about this. he said sitting all day is not necessarily that bad for you if you sit with a good upright posture that engages the core. of course, almost no one does this. most people will tend to slouch forward, which has a couple consequences.
your shoulders will shrug and round forwards, which will limit your range of motion over time. any stretch that retracts the scapula should help; also if you do any exercise like a row, make sure to focus on really pinching your scapula together.
your core muscles will weaken, leaving your spine more vulnerable to injury. "hunched forward" will become your default posture which exacerbates this further. your spine is actually really strong when it is aligned properly, but you need good core strength to do this. doing a "hollow body" pose and your basic plank are good ways to strengthen these muscles (overarching your spine in either direction is a problem).
A swivel-less hard chair forces one to find the right position to sit up IMO. Chair height, distance to keyboard, desk height, they all play a role too. But comfy chairs are not good in the long run
Nope, Padmasana isn’t a back strengthening pose, although a strong core is necessary to maintain it for a typical meditation session. Salabhasana (locust pose) is great for the entire back side of the body.
I'd say anything that engages the core (superman, plank variations) and activates the upper back (YTWL's) would be good choices, ideally substituted with some stretches or mobility work
