Sitting in an office all day can be murder on your back, compressing the spine and leading to stiffness and feeling achy. Most people will experience some type of back pain at some point in their lives.
There are a range of things that can help prevent back pain from occurring in the first place, as well as to help relieve mild to moderate, everyday pain associated with sitting too long.
My favorite simple tool for back-pain relief is the Spoonk Acupressure Mat.
It draws on the concept of reflexology and acupuncture, but because it doesn’t actually puncture the skin, the technical modality is acupressure. There’s lots of teeny, tiny pressure points. They’re really spiky. These spiky points apply pressure to your body from gravity—whether you’re laying with it from your mat, laying down with your back to it, or rolling it up like a pillow and relax your neck back on to it.
The acupressure mat causes little micro-trauma in the muscles so that the body responds by bringing lots and lots of blood flow to that area. You’ll notice after you lay on it, your skin around it gets kind of red (faux pax alert: you might not want to do it if you’re about to put on a swimsuit and go out to the beach!)The reason for the temporary redness–and the reason that it’s effective–is that it’s increasing circulation in that targeted area, helping your muscles get unstuck.
While of course you can use the Spoonk mat for any aches and pains, what I find this particularly helpful for lately is lower back stiffness. I’m in my thirties, and I’ve never had back problems, because I’ve always taken incredibly good care of my back—I do yoga, I do lower back strengthening, etc., so I think that saved me a lot. But! I’m finding now as I’m sitting on a desk all day long, and being under a lot of stress, I am starting to notice some stiffness in my lower back. The mat really helps combat this. I think it’s nice at the end of the day, especially after a warm bath, to lay on it and try do undo a little of the damage we place on our spines from sitting in front of a computer most the day.
What you want to do if you’re using it for lower back pain is lay flat on your back on it (you might want to wear a light T-shirt, because it gets pretty intense). You can bend your knees and lay your feet flat on the floor, or do the pose just before you’re going on a bridge pose.
Another way to use this is in the morning when you’re getting ready for the day, or at night when you’re taking your make-up off or brushing your teeth. I did these a lot when I was marathon-training to relieve pressure on the feet, as well as relax my legs. After the slight pain, you’ll find that your whole lower body is instantly relaxed, and you’ll have more energy on your legs and feet.
Check out some acupressure mat demo’s here.
The mat is not inexpensive, but it’s a great tool to help relax those muscles. It’s about $70 at Whole Foods, where I bought mine, but you can find it on Amazon for as low as $50.
Finally, here’s an insider tip for storing it. (Note, puppies and kitties won’t appreciate you leaving it on a flat surface, as my poor chihuahua can attest when she thought she had a new bed surface I’d laid down for her.) To avoid humans or animals getting the ouchies, store it vertically by hanging it from a skirt hanger. (See below.)
Have you used the Spoonk, or are you about to? Drop me a note in the comments and let me know how your experience is!
In the meantime, start soothing that back pain right away with my Free Gentle Yoga Video–a 15-minute guided yoga practice especially focused on stretching the lower back and hips. Enjoy!
