Back Health & Exercise Course
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Sciatica & Back Pain Blog
Core Activities: Lesson 2
Hello and welcome to the second lesson of your Back Health & Exercise Course.
We describe 2 exercises in this lesson, walking and the Alexander Technique.
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Wellbeing Reminder:
Please read the Disclaimer again and do not do anything that acts against your doctor's instructions. If your doctor has told you lie down and do not move, do what they say!
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Exercise #1 - Walking
Doctors generally used to prescribe bed rest for bad backs, but nowadays the message is usually to get mobile again as soon as possible.
Your back wants you to move around.
So what's a simple and easy exercise that you can do to look after your back - go for a walk!
I know . . . you’re probably thinking "This sounds too simple" right? Well it's not and don't worry, there's another exercise below and there's other, more challenging exercises later in the course.
Any gentle movement you can make is going to help your back get back to normal.
Like many things in life, the simple and obvious is often the right answer and we can fall into the trap of making things complicated when they don't need to be.
So, unless you're under a doctor's orders for bed rest or no movement, one of the best things you can do for your back and your health in general is to go for a regular walk.
When you do, allocate periods where you swing your arms and walk as fast as you can for a few minutes.
A good recipe for improving your back and your overall health and fitness is no more complicated than a 30 minute walk 5 times a week.
You might be in a position where any movement hurts your back - I've been there. However, as long as you do not have a specific mechanical injury, and you don't have instructions not to move, gentle movement and exercise will help you get to the other side of the pain and restore function to your back.
Specialist Back Advice
Hopefully, if you have persistent back pain, you have had (or you're planning to get) advice and treatment from a back specialist e.g. a physio, an osteopath, or a chiropractor.
Exercise is great for helping your back to get strong and healthy and reducing your need for treatment, but it doesn't mean you should avoid getting specialist advice, help or treatment in the first place.
Exercise #2 - The Alexander Technique
The Alexander Technique is a method that works to change your habitual movements in everyday activities. It is a simple and practical method for improving your ease and freedom of movement, balance, support and coordination and helps you discover a new balance in your body by releasing unnecessary tension.
There is a fuller description of the Alexander Technique here http://www.alexandertechnique.com/at/.
There are more free, online resources and useful information starting at the http://www.alexandertechnique.com/ home page.
In terms of using it to relieve back pain and sciatica, there is a particular position that I have found works well as illustrated below.
The important points to note here are:
1. Find a firm surface to lie on. A rug on the floor is good, but a bed for example is too soft.
2. Your legs need to be bent as shown.
3. Your arms are flat by your sides
4. Your head needs to be supported by a couple of books approx 3-4cm / 1 to 1.5 inches high. The objective with the books is to place your neck in the same horizontal plane as your spine.
Comfort note: I often use a book plus a small bean bag on top of the book to soften the hardness of the books.
5. Lie unmoving in this position for 20-30 minutes (more is OK). The objective is to relax and let your back work its way into its natural alignment.
Note: The more relaxed you are, the better the technique works (because tense muscles will loosen and stop resisting the corrective action of the position).
For this reason, it helps if you listen to relaxing music or a meditation track whilst you are lying in the position.
Because your back is fully supported in this position and doesn't have to work against gravity to support your body weight and it gives any muscles and ligaments that are tense or irritated a chance to relax.
You may even find you doze off in the position if you do it in a quiet room and/or you are listening to music or or a meditation track.
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In the next lesson we'll talk more about how you can help your back and other simple things you can to look after it.
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