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Here are some of the key exercises I recommend you do if
you want to get your pelvis and the bones above it back into better
alignment. Do that and there's a good chance your back, neck and
shoulder pain will go away, disappear, vanish, like a fart in a fan factory!
The
red spot on some
of the diagrams is the massage spot. If you go to a masseur or
physiotherapist, get them to massage you in 'that spot' while you're in
the stretch position. They'll really be able to get in their and dig
around.
It's generally the case that people with lower back,
shoulder and neck pain find massage in these stretch positions painful -
testimony to the fact that tight muscles are the cause of their
dysfunction.
Old jungle saying 'Massage in the
stretch position is more powerful than massage lying down.'
RECOMMENDATION
I recommend you do these stretches while you're watching
television, particularly the hip crossover and the hip stretch. Do them
over and over again, from one side to the other for 30 minutes or an
hour at a time.
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BEFORE YOU START
If you've got a crook back one of the most relaxing
positions you can get yourself into is lying on your back with your feet
on a chair or coffee table. You can spend 20 minutes with both legs up,
and 20 minutes with first one leg up and then the other, with the lower
leg extended on the floor. (Just make sure you prop up the foot of the leg on
the floor so it doesn't flop over.)
If you've got a really crook lower back and you want
some pain relief in bed, stick a pillow (or two) under your legs.
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HIP CROSSOVER
This is a five star exercise for anyone with a
crook back. It mobilises the hip, groin and lower back.
I got this one from a lady who'd attended
a Pete Egoscue workshop. That was my introduction to Egoscue.
Build up to 5 minutes each side for 20 - 30 minutes.
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Start with the heel of the right foot up toward the top of the left
knee. Relax abdomen and lumbar spine and push the right knee further way
from you. Then drop the right foot and left knee (together) onto the floor on the left side of your
body. Repeat on the other side.
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HIP STRETCH
This one will take the stretch higher up into the hip. If you've got a
crook back there's a good chance one hip will feel the pinch more than
the other. If this is the case do each side for a minute,
over and over again.
Over the weeks and months the sides will even
themselves up. your back will feel better.
I got this one from a bloke at the Botanic
Garden.1 - 2 minutes each side for 20 - 30
minutes.
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Tuck the left knee over the thigh of the right leg and then pull the
right knee over onto the floor on the left side of the body. Repeat on
other side. |
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SUPER HIP AND THIGH STRETCH
A crook back goes with an inability to sit
up straight.
If you've got tight hamstring muscles you
won't be able to sit up straight.
I pinched this one from Bert Willee's book,
(long out of print) 'Have You
Ever Seen a Monkey With Back Trouble?' It's a beauty and you'll feel
the stretch from your hamstrings up into your thoracic spine.
A minute each side.
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Start with feet
together and extended. Swing the
right leg out over the left and grab hold of the
right foot with your left hand. Keep your right shoulder on the floor. If you're a
bit tight and can't grab your foot, grab you sock or the bottom of your
trouser. Repeat on the other side. |
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SIT UP STRAIGHT
A crook back goes with an inability to sit
up straight.
If
you've got tight buttock muscles you'll have difficulty sitting up
straight. In fact if you do it with your hands clasped behind your back
there is a good chance you'll fall over backwards.
I got this from a lady in the gym.
A minute each side. When you can
clasp your hands behind you back without falling over you'll
know you're getting back into better alignment.
Remember, the cost of the
luxury of a sit down job is to do this exercise for a
minute each side every day.
When you can sit up straight with
hands clasped behind your back and a hollow in your lumbar spine
there's a good chance you won't have any back pain. |
Sit with both legs
straight out in front of you. Fold the left leg under the right and
then the right over the left. Prop yourself up on your knuckles, pushing
the pelvis forward to get the hollow back in lumbar spine.
Check to see
how flexible your buttock muscles are by taking your hands off the floor
and clasping them behind your back. |
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WALL SIT
A crook back goes with an inability to sit
up straight. Tight hamstrings will stop you from sitting up straight.
This Egoscue exercise is an excellent exercise for loosening tight
hamstrings and calves, getting the hollow back into lumbar spine and
reinforcing good posture.
The cost of the luxury of an eight hour a day
job sitting down is a couple minutes of wall sit. A large proportion of people will find this
exercise most uncomfortable due to a loss of flexibility in calves and
hamstrings.
At first you might have have great difficulty sitting up
straight and getting the bottom close to the wall. Persist over the
weeks and the months.2 minutes - leaning forward and shuffling
back 7 or 8 times.
Remember, the cost of the luxury of a
sit down job is to do this exercise for couple of minutes every
day - leaning forward and sitting up straight 7 or 8 times.
When you can
sit up straight against the wall with a hollow in your lumbar spine
there's a good chance you won't have any back pain.
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Sit against a wall,
hands on your lap, legs straight.
Sit up straight with
a hollow in lumbar spine, shoulders pushing back against the wall, head
back and chin tucked in so you are looking at the skirting on the other
side of the room.
Pull the toes back
toward your chest and tighten the quadriceps muscles at the top of your
thigh. Let your stomach muscles hang loose.
Then lean forward
off the wall, keeping the hollow in lumbar spine and shoulders behind
the head. Take the navel down towards your knees.
Use your hands (on
the floor) to shuffle your bottom closer into the wall.
Do this six times in
2 minutes. |
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PRONE FROG
Designed to get better alignment between
pelvis and lumbar spine and stretch the muscles all through the lumbar
and pelvic area which are causing the lumbar spine to flatten out,
thereby accentuating a 'C' curve in the spine instead of the natural 'S'
curve.
I thought this one up myself. I'd seen
people doing a similar exercise lying on their back - sop why not do it
lying on your stomach?
A couple of minutes this way and a couple
of minutes with your elbows under your chest - to increase the stretch.
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To begin the prone frog, rest on hands and
knees with knees as wide apart as you can get them. Lower your pelvis to
the floor, at the same time lifting your feet up and placing your chin
on your hands. Then place your heels together and let your feet hang
down toward the floor. You'll get a marvellous stretch in your groin.
To increase the stretch in lumbar spine,
bring your elbows in up under your chest. |
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BUTTOCK STRETCH
This is a good exercise for
people with sciatica, being designed to loosen up the muscles
through which the sciatic nerve passes.
This will give you a good stretch in your buttock muscles.
To increase the stretch take your chest closer to the floor.
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Start on
hands and knees.
Place right leg over the left, so the
knee and laces of your shoe are resting on the floor.
Push the right leg back as far along
the floor as you
can and prop on your elbows.
Stay
there for a minute and then repeat on the other side. |
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COBRA
This is a classis stretch for a crook lumbar spine.
It stretches stomach muscles and provides glorious relief for the lumbar
spine. If you do it after the reverse frog you'll get a marvellous
stretch.
This is classic yoga pose. If you did yoga
regularly you wouldn't have a crook back.
1 - 2 minutes.
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Start in a front-lying
position with hands wide and level with your shoulders. Stretch upwards,
keeping your pelvis on the floor. With every breath you breathe out,
feel lumbar spine loosening off. |
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HIP FLEXOR STRETCH
A
crook back goes with tight hip flexor muscles.
This exercise helps to restore
natural curve in lumbar spine by loosening hip flexor muscles.
1 minute each side.
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Start resting on one
knee with the other foot well forward, pelvis tilted forward and back
straight. Stretch forward to loosen groin muscles at the top of the back
leg. |
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CALF STRETCH
Never underestimate
the power of tight calves to have an effect on lumbar spine dysfunction.
For some people this is where it all starts.
Got this one from the Egoscue Clinic in
San Diego.
5 minutes.
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Stand for 3
- 5 minutes
with your
back to the wall on a sloping board. As you become more
flexible increase the incline. This is a much more effective stretch than trying to push walls and
trees over. Do it before and after you go for a run ... |
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HEELS
OVER HEAD
If you've got a crook back, any
Tom, Dick and Mary who's a physician will tell you to lie on your back
and bring your knees up to your chest. It's a good exercise.
However, if you really want to give your spine a good workout, take your
feet over your head. You'll know you're getting reasonably flexible
when your feet touch the ground.
Plucked this one out of mid air - or was
it a yoga book!
Stay there for 1 minute, then come up in the pike
position, legs straight, toes pointed, arms outstretched! Score out of
10!
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See if you can reach
your feet over your head so your feet touch the ground. Most children
can do this; maybe you could do it yourself when you were younger.
Gradually over the weeks and months see if you can get further and
further over. |
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CATS AND DOGS
- that makes it a baker's dozen
Dog stretch
Helps to restore the natural curve in the lumbar
spine. Is an excellent mobiliser for the lumbar spine.
Cat stretch
Mobilises thoracic spine.
I married the lady who showed me this one.
Fixed her back she said.
Alternate for a minute.
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With hands close together under your chest, poke your bottom out and get
a hollow in your lumbar spine. Breathe in . Alternate with cat stretch.
With hands close together under the chest, tuck the tummy in, push the
pelvis forward and get a high arch in thoracic spine. Breath out.
Alternate with dog stretch. |
