Why We Need Exercise-Free Solutions
We don’t always have the time, energy, or physical capabilities to exercise our way out of back pain.
Plus, some people don’t enjoy formal exercise. They’d rather play piano, go on a hike, plays sports, do art projects, etc.
So 20-30 minutes of exercises to reduce back pain isn’t always a realistic solution.
Imagine a teacher working all day on his feet. He comes home to take care of his kids, cook dinner, get them to bed, make lunches for the next day, and cleans up.
Does this person then want to do 20-30 minutes of exercises at 9:30 at night?
Probably not…
The Solution
Positional relief can sometimes be extremely useful.
Essentially you’re just putting your body in a position that’s advantageous for gravity, joint load, disc pressure, and muscle tension.
Plus, as I alluded to above, it’s a very low energy solution. And just about everyone can do it.
Positional Relief
This was first studied by Alf Nachemson in the 60’s. He put out a study on spine pressure in various postures (here’s the link to a picture).
Lying supine (on your back) was the lowest pressure on the intervertebral disc.
The highest? Sitting slumped, holding a weight.
Many other studies have since been done to further show how postures and positions influence our spinal health.
Clinically, methodologies like McKenzie, Egoscue, and PRI have utilized this foundational science to help people get better.
90-90 Positional Relief
This position is great. I use it at the end of the day if I’ve been on my feet all day, over trained in my workout, overplayed with the kids, or have done a lot of manual labor.
I just lie down like this at the end of the night. Sometimes for 30 minutes.
What it’s good for:
Decompresses your back
Relaxes your paraspinals
Inhibits your hip flexors
Slacks the sciatic nerve
Summary
If you’re sore or in pain, give this a shot.
If it gets better, do it more.
If it makes it worse, stop and give us a call.