Exercises to Reduce Back Pain

I just finished a round of physical therapy for back related pain. I switched from an active lifestyle to a "desk job" and that murdered my back. Sure I got some occasional pain from a long spin of gaming, but nothing bad enough to send me to the doctor until I was doing 10+ hours a day on my ass.

While I have been a daily stretcher for years to keep some pains at bay, I left PT with 6 new stretches that took me from literally having moaning in pain by the end of the day (I have felt organ failure, so that's no small amount of pain) and could neither sleep nor get frisky without being completely blinded by the back pain.

While most of them were ones I have been doing for years, I needed to make some adjustments and to learn to use more of my core muscles than rely on my limbs and joins for stabilization.

Here's what's added to my routine which might help others:

• Open Book - While this works the shoulders and upper back, I spend a lot of time with forward tilted shoulders while working. Loosening the tension up top helps all the way down. This may have been the most beneficial of them for me, personally. This was not in my routine until the last month. It removed pain I didn't even realize I had. Additional note, if you are pretty flexible already you may notice that you can move your arm back really far...and then feel a tingly or numb feeling. You are pinching a nerve. Pull your arm up a little to relieve it.
• Thoratic Cat and Camel - This had already been in my routine, but I wasn't set in a neutral position core-wise. Basically at the "start" position, do not have your back bend, flex your core, and hold it straight. Do not Buddha belly out or flex your back. Only flex back when doing an "up" set. Return to neutral.
• Lumbar Extension Push Ups - I use the bottom picture and slowly lower and lift my body from the ground. If you are short on time, as in refuse to do more than 2 minutes of stretching, this one will give you the most short term pain relief in the lumbar seat. if you eliminate the push up action and just hold yourself up, this is basically the Snake Pose in Yoga.
• Not sure what this one is called, but let's call it a Pelvic Tilt. Alternative instructions would be to lay on your back, knees up, and tilt your pelvis forward in order to have the small of your back lie flat on the ground. You should feel your core tighten. If you don't, squeeze those muscles and fake it. Follow up with an additional step: While one leg is stationary, slowly tilt your knee outward about an inch and then back again. Do on both sides. You can increase the distance you move as time goes on. This will work your core, lower back and inner thighs.
• Lumbar Prone Spinal Extension - AKA Thumbs Up Superman. Thumbs up optional, it just makes you look cool. Image explains itself.
• Quadruped Upper and Lower Extremity Extension - I had to work up to this as my core was not strong enough for a few weeks to not make me want to fall over. You can do just the arms, or just the legs at first to build up to it. Remember to keep a neutral position and engage your core as in the Cat and Camel.
• Not sure what this is called but has been in my routine for at least 4 years. This can be a bit harder if you are female, like me, and have wider hips. However, sticking a foam pad beneath will reduce the feeling of grinding you hip into the floor. This can be held for a long time. Heck, plop on the floor with a pet or read a book while holding.

Obligatory: Everyone's body is different. Listen to your body if it hurts too much. Don't push yourself too hard. If you can I would highly recommend a few visits with a Physical Therapist to set yourself up with something you can do a few times a week. I only needed three visits in order to make additions and adjustments that made a world of difference. 15-30 minutes of your week to stretch is worth being able to work and play in front of your computer with pain-free focus.

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