I help people break free of tension, pain & stress. Check out the resources I offer below and sign up for my Body Knows Best newsletter!
Do you have trouble with low back pain when gardening or doing other activities that require bending forward? Or have you stopped gardening or other fun things because it hurts?
The key to bending without hurting your back is to focus on bending at the HIPS instead of the knees
The reason is that while the vertebrae in our mid to upper backs and necks are shaped to allow us to twist and bend forward and backward, the vertebrae in our low backs are shaped in a way that actually limits these movements.
So when we try to bend or twist the low back, the muscles get pulled too tight and may trigger a protective pain response in the brain - that's when you feel those sharp spasm-like pains or deep aching in your low back after lots of heavy lifting or bending. It can also happen when we sit in a slouched position for long periods.
Here's how to bend better to support your low back and avoid pain:
(Remember to only use this technique if it feels comfortable for you, and check with your health practitioner first if you have a back condition.)
You may need to build this up gradually to increase your hamstrings' capacity to stretch - alternate with kneeling or sitting on the ground to work, but be sure to bend forward from your hips if you do and keep your low back straight.
One-Leg-Swing
Try this when you need to bend forward briefly to pick something up:
Hold onto a table, chair or other furniture with one hand, raise the same-side leg straight behind you keeping your back straight (making a straight line with your back and raised leg) and reach down with the other hand to pick the item up.
If you've hurt your back with a bit of bad bending, try this pain relief technique:
I hope this helps! Let me know how it goes, I'd love to hear from you.
Warm wishes,
Janine
PS: Do you have ongoing tension or pain? Book an in-person or virtual Ortho-Bionomy session
PPS: Want to study Ortho-Bionomy? You can learn simple pain relief techniques to help family & friends, or to add to your existing practice, in our next class "Fundamentals of Ortho-Bionomy" coming up on April 16&30 Learn more
Ortho-Bionomy Advanced Practitioner & Instructor
I help people break free of tension, pain & stress. Check out the resources I offer below and sign up for my Body Knows Best newsletter!
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