Hi friends! We are back online. Who here has ever experienced lower back pain? 🙋♀️🙋 No fun. The good news is, many times back pain will resolve on its own (something known as Natural History, or how long it will take something to go away without intervention). BUT are there things you can do RIGHT NOW to make it feel better? I think so. Here are a few tips I like to give my patients:
1) Notice how you are breathing. Are your breaths shallow? Are you using your neck, chest and shoulder muscles to breathe instead of using your belly or the area around the lower part of your rib cage? Not allowing the lower part of our thorax to move can make it, and the surrounding area, unhappy. Give it some air!
2) Notice how you are sitting. Are you leaning on your arms, or to one side? Are you trying to "sit up straight" to improve your posture? Although we know there is not necessarily a "right" or "wrong" way to sit, I like to think about letting your body be supported when sitting, particularly when having any type of pain. Think about resting onto the back of you seat. Possibly even reclining your seat back slightly, like in the car. And breathe :)
3) Keep it moving. We know that no matter what the pain, the best thing we can do is keep moving in some way. This could mean changing your position at work every hour or so, going for a short easy walk, or trying a lighter version of your regular workout. Give it a shot.
Still not feeling great, or not sure how to proceed? Schedule a screening and let's make a plan!
