If you spend a lot of time at your desk and are starting to notice that you lower back pain creeping up, then this post is for you.
We’ll cover three different strategies for preventing back pain in the first place, and then I’ll give you a great resource so you can start to put these things into action right away.
We have enough demands on our time and energies as entrepreneurs than to have to worry about physical pain as well. However, most of us that are entrepreneurs, whether it’s an online business (or, in this day and age, even if we have a brick and mortar business) so many of us spend the majority of our time in front of computers (working on our marketing, connecting with clients, etc.) What that can often mean is that we are spending so much time sitting that it starts to take a physical toll, especially on our lower backs.
1) Get Up from Your Desk Regularly
When we sit, we put eleven times more pressure between the vertebrae than when we’re lying down and sleeping. That’s an intense amount of extra pressure. What that means is that over time as our vertebrae starts to compress together, we start to erode the spongy interverbal discs that are in place that are meant to cushion and protect the spine.
Once we start to wear our discs, then we can start to set ourselves up for more serious injuries like disc degernation or even herniated discs.
So, anything that we can do to reduce the amount of compression on our spines is going to keep that spine functioning for you longer and ward off some of those more serious injuries.
Even though you might not necessarily be able to control the amount of time that you’re spending in front of your desk, my first strategy is to see what you can control in terms of being on your behind. So, even if you work at a desk, get up at least every hour.
If you have trouble remembering to get up every hour, set a reminder on your phone, or you can also use the app IFTTT.
Moving as much as possible is going to at least mitigate the amount of pressure and compression that you’re putting on your spine.
You can also look at ways to sneak in some standing time while you work.
Even if you don’t have a standing desk, try setting your laptop on a counter and alternate sitting and standing throughout your work session.
Phone calls are another chance to get off your booty and walk around.
2) Strengthen Critical Muscles
If you have weak abdominals (which is a strong possibility if you sit all day), this actually leads to more stress in the spine.
Abdominal weakness creates a looser mid-section, and can throw off the curvature of your spine.
Make sure that you are doing some type of strengthening exercises for your abs to counteract any imbalanced curvature in the spine—exercises like crunches and any variations of plank.
3) Make Sure You Are Stretching
Specifically, make sure you’re regularly stretching your hip flexors (which run right in front of your hips) your hamstrings, and your lower back.
Tight hamstrings are about as common among desk warriors as skinny jeans are on hipsters.
Just like having weak abdominals causes our mid-section to be a little slack, taut hammies and shortened hip flexors can throw off the natural S-curve of our spine and tug on the lower back.
Carve out some time to stretch your hip flexors, hamstrings, and lower back on the regular to reverse that damage that you’re doing to your spine when you’re sitting so much.
I recommend stretching at least 3 times a week, holding these stretches for a good 30 to 60 seconds each. (Most of us don’t hold stretches as nearly as long as we should to get any benefit. A 5 or 10 second stretch doesn’t do that much good.)
Because I love you (I do!), I’ve taken the liberty of putting together a gentle yoga video for you that will help stretch and lengthen these areas for a happier lower back, all in about 15 minutes.
Any steps that we could take to prevent lower back pain is absolutely worth its weight in gold.
It will pay off so much of in terms of avoiding being out for medical leave, or having expensive surgery bills down the line, and in feeling better overall. ( You don’t do your best work when you’re in pain.)
While you can’t always reduce your workload, you CAN reduce the load it puts on your back.
Ready for more relief? Download my free ebook: Back Bliss–3 Yoga & Pilates Essentials for Loving Your Low Back
