As a yoga teacher, I’m often pulled aside at parties and asked my opinion on a health matter (as many doctors, psychiatrists, massage therapists, pilates instructors and trainers can attest!). Recently, I was talking to a woman who told me that she suffered terribly from lower back pain. I asked her if she worked at a desk job (the number one lower back pain creator!) and she replied no, she was a stay at home mom. When I asked how long she had been experiencing the pain, she told me for about two years. “And how old is your baby?” I asked. “Two,” she answered.
She, like many women, had not been able to juggle the many demands of new motherhood with taking care of her own body, and as a result had never rebuilt the strength of her core that was lost through pregnancy. This had resulted in what was now a chronic lower back pain problem.
If this sounds familiar, then you should know that a simple 10-minute daily routine can begin to build strength and relieve the excess discomfort from the lower back. I recommended for her (and for you) the Sidewinder pose as a place to start, which can be found in the Quick Fix for the Lower Back video. It strengthens the lower back and oblique muscles without putting undue pressure on the lower back, and so can be performed safely for those with back pain. Strengthening the core can bring relief to a chronically painful lower back and make life more enjoyable again!
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This is great. I really noticed that my core is weaker since having my babies, which combined with the constant lifting and carrying often leads to lower back pain. Sidewinder seems like a great way to strengthen the back and obliques.
Thanks for another informative web site. Where else may I get that type of info written in such a perfect approach? I’ve a mission that I am simply now running on, and I have been at the look out for such information.
Thanks Sarah for the video! As a mother to two older “babies” I can attest to Not taking time for yourself or your body. I will share this with my new mommy friends!
As a physical therapist my main comment would be that often exercises that promote further mobility is not what would be recommended for post-pregnancy low back pain. Also an important thing to keep in mind is to never prescribe general exercises for low back pain without knowing the cause or doing a full physical examination. As an example exercises that encourage extension could be helpful for someone with a disc injury but would cause further pain and injury for someone suffering from spinal stenosis. Both issues can have some similar symptoms on the surface (radiating pain that the general public would call sciatic, for example) but the treatments are very different. In these cases it is very likely that poor core strength is the issue; however, all musculoskeletal issues should be examined by a trained health professional (PT, chiro, MD etc.)
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