Articles
Dealing with Back Pain
Your Home Back Care Program
- Lay on your back with your knees flat on the floor. Take right hand and place it against the right side of your head with as much contact as possible. Push head to the left without using your neck; only use your hands and arms letting all the power come from your arms. Now move your right hand to the other side of your head and pull your head back to the right side as far as it can go feeling a gentle stretch. Repeat other arm.
- With your and flat on your forehead, roll your head back and forth as if it were a ball. You should feel your skin rolling underneath your hand remembering to only use the power of your arm. As you roll your head back and forth you should feel your hand on your forehead as your head moves from your wrist to your fingertips. Let your neck relax, your jaw relax, and soft eyes. Repeat other arm.
- Roll onto your stomach. Put your forehead on the floor and your hands into a pushup position with your feet shoulder width apart. Roll onto your left cheek by rolling across your forehead using your right arm to push. Let your arms provide all the power and do all the work with a relaxed neck and head. Let your head be passive and let the arms provide all the support. Feel is your spine and upper body roll from side to side. Repeat to other side.
- Same position. Put your chin onto the floor and then move your forehead onto the floor farther up near your hairline than before; move back onto your chin, but reach out farther with your chin than before. Go back and forth each time trying to reach a little farther than the time before as you try to look foreward and then under your stomach.
- Not for someone in pain- Interlock fingers onto back of head with forehead on the floor. Lift elbows holding them into the air for several seconds and then relax. Do this several times feeling your back and area between your shoulder blades working. This is good strengthening exercise for these muscles.
- Now in the same position with your fingers interlocked on the back of your head, roll your head side to side while keeping your elbows off the floor as much as possible. Do this with complete passive movements of the hand and neck to relieve stress and work of the neck. Attempt to give maximum neck rotation and feel your pelvis trying to stabilize your upper body movements.
- Laying on your back, roll your head side-to-side gently just feeling the movement and rotation of your neck. Return to your stomach with the palms of your hands on the floor near your head and your right cheek on the floor. Begin rolling your pelvis side to side allowing your heels and feet to help you. Very slowly lift your left pelvis up and feel how it makes you roll to the right. Let your back do the work and do not push your knee or toe into the floor. You’ll feel your left knee turn towards the inide and bend more and soften the higher the pelvis moves. Pause. Now do the same movement but poll your knee up towards your waist like it wants to move. Keep knee and foot on the floor moving in the same line. Go slow and never lift your foot up off the floor as you roll your pelvis. Attempt to lighten the load onto your leg by rolling the pelvis. You can let your left arm into a push up position to make the movement easier. Lay on your back and feel the difference between the sides of your back – now go to the other side. This exercise really gets the low back moving – try to coordinate back with hip flexion and core muscles to reduce friction and make it a simple light movement. Do not stiffen your neck, hold your breath, and keep your jaw relaxed.
- Now on your stomach with your legs comfortable and shoulder distance apart. Place your hands palm down near each other just above the head. With forehead on the floor, lift your head up off the floor and slowly extend your neck as if to look up towards the ceiling. Continue this attempting to move farther with each movement. You can use your arms to help, but do not move your hands or lift them off the table. You’ll feel your chest peel off the table. As you go up, start your movement with head and neck and allow the movement to move down your spine.
- Move into the push up position and push with the arms and extend the neck first to look at the ceiling. Lead with your head and let it initiate the movement. Coming down load with your belly. The idea is to always maintain the U position of the spine. If there is stress in your neck – relax and let your pelvis roll back and forth.
- Now bend your ankles and put your toes onto the floor; push with your toes as if pushing into an imaginary wall. Feel your knees come off the ground when you make a slow steady push. Also the pelvis will come up and you may need for your back to help. Learn how to harmonize the push of the legs and the lift of the spine so the movement is fluid and easy.
- Laying on your stomach turn your face to the right and lift your right leg about two inches off the floor with your knee straight. Point your toes out and create tiny circles with your toes onto an imaginary canvas. Rest 4-5 seconds and continue with the circles in the other direction. Turn head to the other side and perform the same thing.
- Rest your chin onto your hands and lift your head and both arms including the elbow together off the floor. Feel your elbows pull back towards the ceiling.
- Laying on your back interlock your fingers behind your head. With your knees and feet together lift your knees to your chest. Now pick up your head pointing your elbows towards your knees. Allow your feet to return to the floor. Now lift again and try to keep your back flat on the floor. Feel your belly and back tighten as you do this. Now let your head down to the floor and attempt the same motion – it will be more difficult. Relax and feel how flat your back is to the floor.
- Draw your knees to your chest and hold both knees with your hands. Pull your knees and feet apart with your hands several times by pulling apart at your knees. Now pull and hold them apart. Using your left arm pull your left knee to the side until you are on your left side. Let your right knee down some to your left knee as it follows. Do not let go of either knee. Now pull your right knee with your right arm until you are on your right side; let one arm and leg do all the work. Do not let one leg move until the other leg pulls it into motion. Allow entire back to spread itself onto the floor and feel your neck move back and forth. Let this be a fluid continuous movement. Lay on your back and feel how flat your back is on the floor.
You can do this in the morning for stiffness, midday for tension, and at night to relax. Never count reps. Put attention to quality of movement and give yourself time to do the exercises and feel the after effects of the exercise.











