The solution to back pain lies with your posture.

There is a very high likelihood that you are subjected to bad posture. We tend to be obligated to stay seated throughout the day. Most people spend their day working in a desk in front of their laptop. Some spend a lot of time driving or taking transit. Furthermore, between 1-3 hours per day is typically spent watching television or scrolling through social media. If you pay attention to your day, there is a good chance you are seated through most of it. The effects of this will not manifest right away but, as time goes on, you may notice chronic back pain, slouching forward shoulders, tight hips, flexed upper back and more. The good news is, with as little as 10 minutes per day, we can counter these effects.

We can break down postural health into three categories: back, hips and core. As you can see in the figure below, there are two types of typical postural stress: upper crossed syndrome and lower crossed syndrome. These result primarily from imbalances in the aforementioned muscles. Facilitated muscles are presented as short and tight, while the inhibited muscles are lengthened and weakened. Read on for prescribed exercises that target these key areas to improve your posture.

The following remedial exercises should be performed in a super set approach where the athlete moves from one exercise to the next with minimal break. Rest as needed after the termination of each set. With consistency and focus, you will notice positive effects fairly quickly and we can soon progressively overload these areas to continue to see more progress.

BACK

When speaking of the spine and posture we must understand what it entails. Starting from the top we have the cervical (neck), moving down to the thoracic (mid back), down towards the lumbar (low back), and sacrum (tail bone). The following exercises will target all of these areas.

30-45 sec hold each. 3-4 sets.

Cobra pose

Cat/cow

Thoracic rotations

Scapula push up on knees

Downward dog

HIPS

Hip flexors are often shortened and tight from the seated position which will contribute to tight lower back, weak lower abdominals, and weak glutes. The exercises below will help mobilize and/or strengthen key areas accordingly.

30-45 sec hold each. 3-4 sets

90/90 hip stretch

Glute bridges

Pigeon pose

Back extension

CORE

Contrary to popular belief, core exercises are not just for getting the elusive six pack. To appreciate the full benefits, and especially to improve your posture, we must shift our focus to the 360⁰ trunk and mid section rather than targeting abs.

30-45 sec hold each. 3-4 sets.

Front Bridge

Farmers Carry

Sorenson Hold

I hope you give these a try and start relieving some pain and discomfort. Let me know how it goes! Enjoy!