Divya Gandotra
If we look at our life nowadays, we see that most of us spend it after a screen. We wake up only to look at our phone and then drag ourselves to the office only to sit behind another screen. Then we come home and seek entertainment from another screen. In short, our work, daily requirement, and entertainment are all depending on a screen. This as a result has impacted our sitting posture. We slouch most of the time and our hunching bodies are becoming the reason for neck and back stiffness. Overall, it all comes back to the way we sit. If we want to resolve this issue, we need to rely on stretching and moving. Most people report that they have pain in the neck, shoulders, upper back, lower back, etc. to resolve this issue, it is important to know about the reason first. Once you know the reason, only then you can move towards the cure. It is advised to visit the doctor but everyone doesn’t like the idea of a doctor. Some people want to rely on themselves as well.
In this article, we will explore some of the easy ways that can help you reduce neck and back pain. We have listed down some basic exercises that you can incorporate in your daily activities and we have also listed down some dos and don’ts that can help you perform all these exercises without any professional help.
Best Exercises to Relieve Back Pain and Neck Pain
As we have mentioned earlier, most of the issues related to back pain are somehow connected to the way we sit. This means we need to take some break, go for a walk or adjust our posture after every hour. This also means that we need to take extra care of how we sit and behave based on our pain. To help you with this, we have listed down some of the best exercises that can help you relieve pain. These exercises can be performed without any professional help. The best part is that you can take a few minutes’ breaks and exercise while you are in the office. You don’t need a designated place or you don’t even have to leave your seat. These exercises will help you cure pain and prevent any other defect as well.
Leg Stretch
After each hour, when you feel that your legs are getting stiff and numb, try to extend your legs. You need some extra space for that but you can perform this exercise even if you are sitting in your seat.
Neck Side To Side Stretch
As you have stretched your legs you can now move towards stretching your neck. All you need to do is move your neck towards the right and then move your neck towards the left. Once this is done, you need to move your neck clockwise and then anti-clockwise.
Posture Adjustment
Posture adjustment is very important. For this, you need to straighten your back, make sure your back is perfectly aligned with the back of the chair. Now extend your shoulders and make sure they are perfectly aligned with your back as well.
Shoulder Roll
Once you have adjusted your posture, now lift your shoulders a little and move them clockwise. After two complete circles, move them anti-clockwise. Make sure your hands are in your lap so that you can move your shoulders properly.
Overhead Upper Body Bend
Now extend your left hand above your head and keep your other hand on your lap. Bend on the right side and hold the posture for a few seconds. Now repeat the same with a right hand and hold the posture for a few seconds.
Chair Rotation
For chair rotation, you don’t have to rotate the chair, rather you need to sit on your chair in a way that your left side is against the back of the chair. Now hold the headrest of the chair and start rotating. You need to rotate your upper body at an angle of at least 45. Your goal should be to achieve a 90-degree angle however, in most cases that take some time. The main thing that you need to keep in mind is that you need to get a chair without an armrest.
Thoracic Extension
This is another very interesting exercise where you need to extend both your hands like you are going to hug someone. Make sure your hands are extended on the level of your shoulders and not below. Now, lean back on your chair and bend a little. Keep repeating this at least five to ten times. Some people like to hold this position whereas others follow the pace.
The Dos and Don’ts to Help You with the Pain Relieving Exercise
Most people go through back pain, neck pain, and lower back pain because of their sitting posture. Others have a wrong sleep posture and some might even have an injury. The exercise cannot heal the injury but it can help in speeding up the healing process. On the contrary, you can not only prevent back and neck pain through proper exercise but you can also cure and minimize the damage if you keep a few things in mind. To help you beat the pain and prevent it from getting worse, here are a few dos and don’ts that can help:
- If you feel pain, look for the cause first. All kinds of pains cannot be cured by rest, some need movement and posture adjustment as well.
- Stretching will help you bring back the lost flexibility and it will increase the ability of the body to bear the shock.
- Stretching and movement will help you see which kind of movement makes the pain worse and what you need to avoid.
- If the pain gets worse, try to limit the movement.
- Your posture will be lifesaving, most people have back pain only because they don’t focus on their posture so try to keep your back straight.
- Before exercise, you need a warm-up session. A warm-up session can save you a lot of hassle throughout the exercise.
- Lifting the weight of heavy objects requires a certain type of movement that will help you avoid straining your back. Try not to lift heavy objects however, if it is necessary to lift something heavy, learn to maintain your posture.
- When you are exercising, don’t limit yourself. Try to use different maneuvers and different moves so that you can do better and make the most out of your exercise.
- Pushing through the hurt can be very dangerous, try to listen to your body as compared to hurting yourself.
Bottom Line
To sum it all up, your passive living style eventually takes a toll on your body. The only way to avoid the pain and minimize the damage is through exercise. You need to start regular exercises and take all precautionary measures. This will not only help you to avoid pain but will also help with curing pain. Most exercises that have been mentioned in this article can be performed without any help from a professional, however, if you feel pain contact the doctor immediately. Lower back pain can sometimes be due to herniated disk and if you keep exercising with the herniated disk it can make the issues worse. Contacting a doctor or physiotherapist can help you get rid of the issue.
