This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in November of 2023. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/k15PnSow1MM
Mike: Are you tired of dealing with back pain but don't have time for all the complicated exercises?
Brad: You're in luck because we have five options that at least one of them is going to get you out of that back pain syndrome and get you moving. Hold on, we'll get right to it. All right, the first thing we going to to address is if you have pain getting out of a chair consistently, there are a couple tricks that you can do so it becomes pain-free or notably less pain. Mike, let's go with it.
Mike: The first thing we want to highlight is what position works for you? There's not a right or wrong answer. Some people will feel better getting out of a chair with a flexed spine.
Mike: Others may feel better getting out of a chair with a straight back and pushing up.
Mike: Find whatever position is best for you. You can start by simply flexing or sitting straight up. Determine which position is optimal. The next thing you want to do, for some people it's going to be this first exercise. The other will be the next one. What you want to do is engage your core. In order to do that, you're actually going to push your stomach out in order to feel this, put your fingertips in your sides and push into them. Some people, once they engage their core and then they push up, they don't experience the back pain.
Mike: Some people, that may not work for. So what we want to do is recommended by Stewart McGill and it's called anti-shrugging. So a shrug is essentially bringing your shoulders up to your ears. You want to prevent this. In order to prevent this, you're going to have to engage your pecs and your lat muscles, which run all the way down your back here. So what I'm going to do is not shrug up, so keep my shoulders depressed, engage my pecks, lats, then I'm going to push up and stabilize like that. For some people, that will be the key to getting up without having pain.
Brad: But wait, Mike. There's more.
Mike: There is?
Brad: Well if you don't have arm rests, do the exact same thing, but you can put your arms on your thighs and do the same contraction and use that to get up. Another option without armrests.
Mike: Another component we forgot to mention is foot placement. So if you are someone that tends to have your base of support or feet together, this can sometimes cause your back pain to be worse. So try to have a nice wide base of support.
Brad: That's right. The next scenario is if you have consistent back pain if you've been sitting or standing for a length of time without motion, you need to get things moving in the back. We're going to talk about how you can do this and it's going to work very well. We've had a lot of success with it. It's your turn, Mike.
Mike: So, every 30 minutes or so, try to set a timer and get some movement going. So, just going on a simple walk. If you're in your office, just do a small stroll. If you can go outside for a walk, go ahead. But when you're walking, the first key to do is look at your posture. A simple recommendation, if you have a flexed over posture, to correct it is simply clasp your hands behind your back and grab them softly like this. This will automatically correct your posture. And this is a recommendation from Stuart McGill who is one of the back pain research experts, I would say. And you simply walk around like this for a period of time. If you can maintain that without the hands back there later, and your back pain is less, that is a good option.
Mike: Now Rick Olderman also has a different option. Brad, you want to talk about that?
Brad: Right, now this is if you have one-sided back pain. Say it's on my right side and you're walking and it's painful, take your right arm and reach up or over your head like that, which stretches this area out. And it's one of those things that you'll notice it right away. It'll feel good. It looks a little funny walking around like this, but if it relieves your pain, you do it. You don't walk around like this all day long. You do it for a certain period of time, a minute or two, and do it throughout the day.
Mike: Now another key element of Rick Olderman's program is talking about your walking pattern. So if you are a heel striker, this can put more impact force going up your leg and into your back. In order to take less stress through your joints you can simply walk landing on your forefoot or a flat foot. In order to do this, you will need to start taking some smaller steps. You can try this simply going in your house without wearing shoes to begin with. If this helps, you can watch other videos we talk about walking correction. Otherwise, if this doesn't help, try the other things we suggested.
Brad: Nice work, Mike. Also, we do have a suggestion from Bob. I remember you tried this with a number of patients. You had them walk a little bit faster and increasing speed. And so not speed walking, but a little speed, a little faster. It helps the back pain, and you walk as far as comfortable and sit down.
Mike: Now the third tip we have for back pain is when you're walking and the other recommendations we told you aren't working, sometimes you just need to decompress your spine. You can do this on a park bench, maybe at a countertop at your house if you're home. And Brad's going to demonstrate it.
Brad: All right, now this is a technique that I've had patients use on countertops, that worked very well. I use it myself. I haven't needed to for a while because I've been feeling good. But you go up to something solid, a park bench like we had mentioned, or countertop. Take your arms and rotate them so the palms are away from your body, on the countertop or the solid surface. And now I'm going to take my weight. You can see my knees flexing, bending, and I'm going to allow my core muscles to relax. And you'll feel the back actually get that traction or decompression, and that's when you feel that relief. Oh, I feel it right now. It's a good stretch. I might hang out here. typically 15, 30 seconds. If you do this and it creates pain, it's not for you. You need to try one of the other options.
Brad: You can do this with a chair with firm armrests like this. You can go like this or like this. With this I go like this. Bring your feet out in this position. And again, relax the core of the stomach. Make sure your elbows are locked out. It's much easier. If you flex your arms it's a major workout for the triceps. Lock the elbows and relax there. I've achieved it. I've got some good motion. And actually if I do this a little bit, it feels good. I've got some stenosis that really likes this, especially if I flex a little bit. Everyone's a little different. Give it a go.
Mike: Now we're going to talk about seating options and how you can adjust them at home if you're experiencing back pain. Brad, take it away.
Brad: All right , now, if you're sitting in your chair, like your computer workstation or a chair that's firm and you sit down and your feet are dangling, you're a shorter person, that can put undue stress on your back. If you simply take a cushion, we have this Pete's choice, doesn't matter what you use, put that on there so the weight of your legs are being supported through your feet as opposed to dangling.
Brad: Now on the other hand, if you're taller like Bob, and your chair's short and you find that your knees are way up to your chest, that can really put stress on the low back. Then you need to actually take a pillow or the cushion, put it on the seat pan right there and raise up. Now if you have an office chair, you may just be able to pull the lever and it'll go up hydraulically through the system, if you have a nice chair.
Mike: Now another option, if you're having some low back pain is sometimes the depth of the seat pan, or maybe you're on a couch that is too long. So in order to sit upright, you have no back support. If that's the case, simply putting a pillow in your low back may help. If it's a couch, you probably want something like a throw pillow because they're normally big and cushioned. If it's a solid chair like this, you may want a normal pillow. Place it vertically behind you and then position it like that and you have better positioning.
Brad: That's right. I don't know if it's an age thing, but both Bob and I prefer the throw pillow in our soft recliners. That's mine. Yep, Bob's shaking his head yes. Put that in there. Oh, you'll feel good support. It can make a difference between, "oh, it's uncomfortable" to, "oh, now I can watch the movie."
Mike: Now the fifth and last tip we have is how to get in and out of your bed if you're experiencing back pain. Brad, take it away.
Brad: Okay, so what you'll want to do in your bed, you're going to bring your feet up like this. At this point, you're going to tighten up your core muscles, your abdominals, tighten them up, and then that's going to allow the back to be supported like a back belt. We're going to roll to the side. We call it log rolling. So everything rolls together. We don't twist. Everything goes together to the left shoulder, the left side of the hip, we get to the side, bring your legs off to the edge of the bed, and actually over. That starts to bring you up. Push with the elbow, and the other hand. Tight core. And we bring it up. There we go.
Brad: Once we get to this position, make sure you get up slow. Come forward, inch by inch, and up we go. And you're ready to go for the day. This can really make the difference whether your back is irritated right away or it stays pain-free now, which will help goes out through the rest of the day. Now, there's another point, when you get sitting at the dide of the bed, to stand up you tighten your core and it doesn't seem to help, What you'll going to do is tighten your pec muscles, your chest muscles, and your lat muscles here. Now what that does, the lat muscles connect directly to the low back. That offers more support from a different angle, and that can help. So I'm going to tighten up, pull down with the shoulders, and go up. It really can make a big difference. One or the other. Work with it as you can.
Mike: There you have our five practical tips for beating back pain for those busy individuals without any exercises. Brad, what would you like to mention here?
Brad: Well, we've got another video out. "Only One in 5,000 Know about This Treating Sciatica" is the title of it. So there's some more specific tips. If you have pain down the leg, it's definitely a video to watch.
Mike: Be warned, there are exercises in this one.
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