Exercise is very good for you, as as I'm sure you appreciate, but it's particularly good for you as an upper back pain treatment, if you adopt a couple of simple guidelines, and practice the right workouts. Here's a list of easy and effective physical exercises that should help relieve back pain and offer some gratefully received chronic back pain relief:
Shift and lift: This is a great exercise that helps to strengthen the muscles around your mid and lower back, hips and buttocks (in particular) while sitting in the office. Even though this is something that you can practice while sat at your desk, owing to the nature of the 'lifting' factor of the exercise, I would suggest that you don't do this while there's other people too close to you, for example. They may get the wrong idea about you!
Regardless of that, this is a great exercise for reducing any stiffness or soreness that may arise from sitting still for long periods of time, and it will help strengthen those muscles too!
Start off by sitting down in a comfortable but upright chair, relax and then clench the muscle in one buttock and hold for a couple of seconds, lifting your cheek slightly at the same time. Relax and rest for 1 or 2 seconds and then repeat. Do this 15-20 repetitions with each buttock.
Hip sway: This is neat little exercise to do if you are standing for any length of time, as it relieves the tautness in your legs and increases the blood flow within your legs, hips and back. It also reduces or even eliminates chronic lower back pain that many individuals are affected by if they are required to stand up for any length of time.
Start from a standing position, completely relax your right knee, while at the same time pushing your left hip out to the side. Pull the hip back in again, and repeat the same action 15-20 times. Afterwards, allow your left knee to bend and relax, and drive your right hip out in the same manner.
Lifting: Go find a bag - a supermarket plastic bag, or anything else with extended handles for lifting will do the trick. Place something fairly heavy in the bag - what you put in isn't important, but make sure it weighs at least a couple of kilos (filled plastic bottles are just right for this, as a liter bottle of water weighs pretty much a kilo).
Place your arm straight down by your side, bend at the knees until you can reach the bag on the floor and then straighten your legs and lift the bag. Once you're back upright again, hold the upright position for a few seconds, and then bend your knees to touch the bag down again.
Repeat 15 times with the bag on one side of your body, then repeat it on the other side. When done correctly - that is, by bending at the knees and not from your back - this is a very powerful exercise for strengthening the middle and lower back, glutes and hips, but it will also help to keep your arms and thighs in great shape.
Shrugging: This is a really easy exercise that not only helps keep your lower back toned, it is also a great way of expelling the tautness that builds up in your shoulders and neck. It's also very good for toning your arms and shoulder muscles. It's and exercise you can do pretty much anywhere so whenever you get a minute - get shrugging.
For the starting postiion, just shrug your shoulders all the way up to your ears (or at least as far as you can), then extend your arms sideways from your body until they are parallel to the ground and turn your palms so they face outward. Finally, tilt your head to the side to touch your shoulder and hold that position for a few seconds. Return to the beginning and do the whole thing again, but this time, tilt your head to the other side.
Tens of thousands of people are laid low with back pain every year. For some, the lucky ones, it resolves within a few weeks with a judicious combination of exercises supplemented by painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. But what of the rest? There are a myriad of different specialists involved in the treatment of back pain and upper back pain treatment, each with their own opinion as to the likely explanation and the best way of putting it right. Having said that, the use of acupuncture as a method for providing at least some chronic back pain relief seems to have some merits.
Shift and lift: This is a great exercise that helps to strengthen the muscles around your mid and lower back, hips and buttocks (in particular) while sitting in the office. Even though this is something that you can practice while sat at your desk, owing to the nature of the 'lifting' factor of the exercise, I would suggest that you don't do this while there's other people too close to you, for example. They may get the wrong idea about you!
Regardless of that, this is a great exercise for reducing any stiffness or soreness that may arise from sitting still for long periods of time, and it will help strengthen those muscles too!
Start off by sitting down in a comfortable but upright chair, relax and then clench the muscle in one buttock and hold for a couple of seconds, lifting your cheek slightly at the same time. Relax and rest for 1 or 2 seconds and then repeat. Do this 15-20 repetitions with each buttock.
Hip sway: This is neat little exercise to do if you are standing for any length of time, as it relieves the tautness in your legs and increases the blood flow within your legs, hips and back. It also reduces or even eliminates chronic lower back pain that many individuals are affected by if they are required to stand up for any length of time.
Start from a standing position, completely relax your right knee, while at the same time pushing your left hip out to the side. Pull the hip back in again, and repeat the same action 15-20 times. Afterwards, allow your left knee to bend and relax, and drive your right hip out in the same manner.
Lifting: Go find a bag - a supermarket plastic bag, or anything else with extended handles for lifting will do the trick. Place something fairly heavy in the bag - what you put in isn't important, but make sure it weighs at least a couple of kilos (filled plastic bottles are just right for this, as a liter bottle of water weighs pretty much a kilo).
Place your arm straight down by your side, bend at the knees until you can reach the bag on the floor and then straighten your legs and lift the bag. Once you're back upright again, hold the upright position for a few seconds, and then bend your knees to touch the bag down again.
Repeat 15 times with the bag on one side of your body, then repeat it on the other side. When done correctly - that is, by bending at the knees and not from your back - this is a very powerful exercise for strengthening the middle and lower back, glutes and hips, but it will also help to keep your arms and thighs in great shape.
Shrugging: This is a really easy exercise that not only helps keep your lower back toned, it is also a great way of expelling the tautness that builds up in your shoulders and neck. It's also very good for toning your arms and shoulder muscles. It's and exercise you can do pretty much anywhere so whenever you get a minute - get shrugging.
For the starting postiion, just shrug your shoulders all the way up to your ears (or at least as far as you can), then extend your arms sideways from your body until they are parallel to the ground and turn your palms so they face outward. Finally, tilt your head to the side to touch your shoulder and hold that position for a few seconds. Return to the beginning and do the whole thing again, but this time, tilt your head to the other side.
Tens of thousands of people are laid low with back pain every year. For some, the lucky ones, it resolves within a few weeks with a judicious combination of exercises supplemented by painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. But what of the rest? There are a myriad of different specialists involved in the treatment of back pain and upper back pain treatment, each with their own opinion as to the likely explanation and the best way of putting it right. Having said that, the use of acupuncture as a method for providing at least some chronic back pain relief seems to have some merits.
 | By Mike Spencer Published: 9/5/2008 |
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