When age starts to catch up with you, ask yourself this simple question: am I doing enough lower back stretches? Because when it comes to your mobility in later life, they become one of the most important things in your locker. Grey hairs can look distinguished, and a little stiffness as you get up from the sofa is to be expected, but a true sign of age is the dreaded lower back pain.
Whatever your age, however, everyone is susceptible to lumbar trouble, and this hasn't been helped by our increasingly sedentary lifestyles. “The sheer amount of time we spend sitting puts immense pressure on the lower back area,” says Michelle Justice, yoga instructor and founder of Nature Sound Retreat. “Between being hunched over at desks, craning our necks to look at screens, and just general poor posture… it's no wonder so many of us deal with persistent lower back tightness and pain.”
There's some good news, though: get stretching, and your lower back can not only recover, but have you feeling like a new person altogether.
When it comes to your body's everyday functionality, there aren't many spots more important – or under more strain – than your lower back. The lumbar spine, as it's otherwise known, balances physical demands from above and below. “The lower back is designed to help us carry the weight of our upper body and absorb the load through our lower body,” says Helen O'Leary, physiotherapist and clinical director at Complete Pilates. “When we sit, especially for long periods, we put extra load through our lower back joints, discs and muscles. In more active activities, our lumbar spine is important in helping us create movement, as well as absorbing load when we push, pull or carry things.”
Basically, too much sitting causes an imbalance in the lower back, something compounded by the poor posture epidemic you see evidence of in offices worldwide. Without enough movement, the lower back can falter under the strain. “All those intricate muscles, tendons, and discs bear a ton of compressive force daily without the proper conditioning and relief,” says Justice. “That's why incorporating lower back stretches into your routine is crucial for increasing mobility, preventing injury, and managing any existing discomfort.
“At the end of the day, our lower backs take the brunt of our modern lifestyle. So being proactive with lower back stretches is an investment in your overall comfort, mobility, and longevity.”
Lower back pain can range from mild discomfort to incapacitating pain, especially if you're prone (like me) to lumbar weakness. The quickest and most effective way to prevent any sudden collapse is through getting up and moving: stretching, mobilising and strengthening the lumbar spine gives you the best base for a healthy back, from increased flexibility and improved posture to boosting circulation in the area, which can enhance recovery from injury.
Strengthening your lower back can be kickstarted as easily as using it for its intended purposes, going through the full range of motions such as bending down, rotating, bending to the side and stretching back into the sky. Think of any sports training montage, and you'll get the picture.
It's not just the lower back you should be targeting, however. “It is important to remember that the lower back is closely associated with and influenced by other parts of the body such as the upper back, core and pelvis/hips,” says O'Leary. “Stretches and strength exercises for these areas can also help relieve symptoms of the lower spine.”
For more of a lifestyle change, yoga can address lower back issues as part of a broader approach to mobility. “Yoga sequences typically contain a big emphasis on mobility and spinal alignment,” says yoga instructor and psychotherapist Eloise Skinner. “As well as the stretching element, yoga is also great for strengthening and engaging the muscles of your back, which helps you maintain good posture and alignment in daily life (reducing the need for intensive treatment of lower back pain).”
If you're in more pain than you think curable with some stretching and lifestyle changes, you're not alone. Your best bet is to go to your GP for a referral to a physiotherapist who can get to the bottom of your lumbar woes.
Try these three stretches to help you avoid lumbar pain:
- Book opening
- Cat cow
- Thread the needle
Lie on your side with your feet in line with your pelvis and pillows under your neck for head support. Inhale, feeling the breath come down to your lower rib cage and stomach and keeping the shoulders relaxed.
Lift the top arm up and over behind your back. Follow your hand with your eyes. Concentrate on keeping the pelvis and lower legs still and facing forwards. As you rotate around, sigh out to allow your body to rest. You can pause in the rotation to take a few breaths. This will encourage mid-back (thoracic) rotation as well as rib mobility.
Breathe out as you bring the arm back around to the start position.
Repeat 3-5 times on each side.
Begin on your hands and knees in tabletop position, with a neutral spine. As you breathe in, curve your spine down, lift your sit bones upward, press your chest forward and allow your belly to sink. Lift your head, relax your shoulders away from your ears, and keep your gaze straight ahead.
As you breathe out, round your spine upwards, tucking the tailbone and drawing your pubic bone forward. Release your head toward the floor and relax.
Repeat 10 times in each direction.
Start on all fours, making a tabletop with your body. Stack your hips directly above your knees and position your elbows, shoulders and wrists in a straight line to the ground.
Lift your right hand up, sending your gaze up with it, then follow your right hand down as you thread it beneath your left arm. Keep your hips high and allow your chest to rest on or come close to the ground.
Push your hips back and up and keep some pressure in your left palm. Hold the position for as long as you need and then switch sides.
To come out, press firmly into your left palm and slowly unthread your right arm reaching back up towards the sky – the gaze can follow. Return your right hand down to the ground back into tabletop.
Continue to alternate sides for 10 repetitions.
