This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in March of 2024. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeALuM1muR8&t=256s
Mike: If you're struggling with chronic low back pain, then this is for you.
Brad: So we're going to show you three different options to exercise that's going to help manage and get this pain where you want it, and that is gone. And it's going to depend on your back pain, and what kind of symptoms you have.
Mike: And then we'll be discussing the importance of heat use with back pain. Now the first exercise or stretch we're going to show is for someone that has too much arch. So if you look at Sam's low back here, it is arching too much. We're going to show you a simple test to see if this is your problem.
Brad: And then we're going to follow up with a stretch to help get this pain to go away.
Mike: So all these exercises and tests we got are from Rick Olderman, a physical therapist we work with often, and they can be found in his back pain program.
Brad: So the test is simple. You simply lie on your back with your legs straight out. You can use a pillow if you want. And you're going to lie there for about a minute and assess how your back feels. If the longer you lie there, your back is irritated or a little uncomfortable, take note of that. Then after a minute, bring both knees up with your feet on the table or the bed. You can do this on the floor as well. And if that relieves the back pain, and it feels better lying with your knees up, then your legs down, then this next exercise will benefit you and your back pain. So, are you ready Mike?
Mike: I'm ready.
Brad: Okay. Now this stretch that Mike is going to demonstrate, you may kind of wonder why he's doing this stretch the way it is, and what oftentimes is the problem is tight hip flexors. Now the hip flexors actually connect obviously the hip area, to the low back, right where my fingers are spanning.
Brad: Now when those muscles get tight, that actually pulls the lower back into that extreme arch, causing that pain. So if we can stretch those muscles out, and get them to relax, that takes the pressure off the lower back, the arch is more normalized, pain is reduced, and you have success. Ready, Mike?
Mike: So in order to do this stretch, you're going to need to sit on a firm surface, maybe a countertop or table if you have a strong one. If you can't get up there, you can use the bed, but just don't slide off the edge if you have a soft edge. Now what I'm going to do is lie on my back, and bring both knees up to my chest. The closer my butt is to the edge, the more stretch I'm going to feel, the less stretch I'm going to feel if I'm up on the table more. So what you're going to do is lower one leg down, and I'm going to bend my knee, try to get a 90-degree bend. If you're tight kind of like me, you probably can't bend as far. And then make sure to bring the opposite knee up to your chest. You'll see here once I pull it up, you could see my hip flexor tightness here. Try to hold this for 30 seconds. Relax, and breathe throughout.
Brad: Wait, wait, wait, Mike. Let's, let's just, I want to just interject a little information. So we're working on the left hip flexor. It's deep muscle being stretched. Now pull your knee towards your chest on the right side. Watch this knee rise. This knee is rising as a result of a tight hip flexor.
Brad: So keep note of that. You can do both sides, and you'll compare one to the other. When you flex the knee, you're stretching another muscle that also can be responsible for that tight, or that arched back. That's called the rectus femoris. Two different muscles. You will feel them stretch when you do this.
Mike: It's also important to keep your legs straight in line. Don't let it fall out to the side.
Brad: Good point.
Mike: After 30 seconds, switch and go to the other side. You may notice one side is tighter than the other. You can do two to three sets of 32-second holds. Maybe do an extra set on the tighter side.
Brad: Good. Now, if by chance any of these create sharp pain, it's not for you. There may be some other components involved, but these should feel good while you're doing them as well as afterward. Do not get too aggressive the first time you do it. Alright, now this next stretch, will address people with stenosis, lumbar spinal stenosis, or spondylolisthesis. That's a mouthful. Now, both of these, extension of the back, if you stand up and maybe you're washing windows overhead, or doing anything overhead, your back will consistently hurt. This stretch will make it feel better quickly. It's all in the back. I should know. I have spondylolisthesis as well as stenosis, and I'm grateful for these stretches. Okay, now another typical symptom, or way to relieve this, let's say you're walking or standing for any length of time, your back is painful, and when you simply sit down, the pain goes down very quickly, that's another good sign the stretch is going to be helpful. You do it either on the floor with carpet is more comfortable, you can do it on the bed, and that works as well. I like the floor better, but some people are unable to do that. We'll show you two options.
Mike: So in Rick's books and programs, it's called "Rocking on All Fours." You may know it as a prayer stretch, or the child's pose in yoga. So what I'm going to do is be on all fours like this. Personally, I like to bring my feet together when I do this. I'm going to sit on my butt towards my heel, and I'm going to keep my arms in the same place they were when I started. If you don't feel much of a stretch, you could certainly crawl your fingers forward. You're going to hold this for three to four breaths, 30 seconds, whatever feels good for you. And then you're going to come back up.
Mike: Now say you have one side that's more problematic than the other. Like say you have back pain on one side, you can certainly stretch and reach over. So if I had pain on the left side of my back, this can help open up that area more if you have stenosis.
Brad: Good. Alright, now, if you do not feel comfortable getting on your knees, maybe you have a knee replacement or whatever it may be, we'll show you how to do it in the seated position. Alright, same stretch, seated position. If you have a chair with rollers on it, or wheels that roll nicely, you take that chair up to a countertop or a table, hands on the table, and you're going to push the chair slowly out. And right now I'm stretching very much almost identical to the, in the low back as Mike was doing. There we go. And I can tell you, this feels very good. I'm going to hang out for a little bit.
Brad: If I want to stretch the right side more, my right hand goes over the top of my left, and I can clearly feel the right side of my lower back stretch more. You're going to hold it for two or three breaths. Come back up. Do this while you relax. Repeat it a few times in a row.
Brad: If you do not have wheels on your chair, the option is, that it's hard to move a chair without wheels. So you're going to keep it stationary. Simply take a towel, put it on top of the tabletop or the cover top, hands on the towel, and we're going to move our hands versus the chair and slide forward. Same thing. We get the same stretch and hold it. Come back up again, hand over, or hand over this way. Do that if it feels better, then that's how it works. Simple as that. Mike, any things I missed?
Mike: No, let's go on to the next stretch.
Brad: That's right, the next one.
Mike: So the next stretch we're going to show is if you have one-sided back pain, or possibly even a herniated disc. We're going to say I'm having one-sided back pain on my left side here. What I'm going to do is go up to a door frame. Brad's going to show an alternative option if you can't reach up high. You could also use a pull-up bar if you happen to have one at home or at the gym. So I'm going to face the palm away from my body, grasp the top of the door frame, and then I'm going to slowly lean into the side going into the doorframe itself. This will help open up the lateral aspect of your vertebrae, decompressing that pinched nerve you may be having. You can hold this for 30 seconds and then come out.
Brad: That's right. Now I want to emphasize, that we're giving three options. You're going to try all three. You may not use all three, may you only use one or two of them. They must have good results, and make your back feel better while you're doing it, as well as after. For example, I do not do the hip flexor stretch, the first one. I use the second two because they really make my back feel better. I do not use the door frame like that. I actually take the Booyah Stik. You don't need a Booyah Stik. Anything like a sturdy broom handle piece of doweling will do. And this is exactly how I do it. I put it on the stool, and I stretch. Hold on tight. And look at my side, wrinkled clothing. As I lean in, you can see how the clothing pulls. Your muscles and tissue on that side do the same thing. And I feel it inside my abdominal area, stretching those muscles. And you can do both sides. I do this for maintenance. Even when my back is not bothering me, so I have a good flexible back, and things are in check.
Brad: So now we go out to go on to the next part of the video, which involves heat, how should you do it, and what's the best form of heat with those back muscles, et cetera? Mike, anything I missed?
Mike: I'm ready for a nap.
Brad: Okay, the next thing we want to talk about is positioning your body to relieve the pain. It's a very important part of low back pain problems. And the first thing we're gonna talk about is when you're lying down on your back, oftentimes, more times than not, if you put two pillows, sometimes three pillows underneath your legs in this area so the knees elevate and it flexes the hip slightly, it takes the pressure off the low back, giving very quick relief. This is something I've worked with many patients as well as myself, and it works very well.
Brad: There is an option to this, if this works well, there is a leg wedge. And both Bob and I, and Mike have used this with many patients, and you put it under the knees, and typically, almost always, they put a big smile on their face and boy does that feel good. You don't need it. Pillows do work quite well. It works a little bit better in my opinion.
Brad: Now let's look at the seated position. So if you're sitting in a chair, particularly if you have a soft recliner or cushion chair that is rounded. That can really raise havoc on your back if you sit there for a long period of time watching a movie, reading a book, whatever. Simply put a pillow the long way and put that behind your back, and it'll feel good.
Brad: Now if you have a firm upright chair, that works very well. Also, sometimes depending, on if you've got an old chair that's really sunk in there, you may have to double it up just to fill in that big hole from the wear and tear on that chair. You need to find an option that feels very good, and it'll make your back relax. Then you know you have the right position and the pillow positioning.
Brad: So, the next thing we're going to talk about is the use of heat with your lower back.
Mike: Now you can use a couple of different options of heat for heating up your lower back. You can typically take a normal hot pack. This is one you simply put in the microwave, warm it up, and put it on your lower back.
Mike: You're going to want something in between your skin and this. So if you have clothes on like a T-shirt or sweatshirt, that should be fine. Otherwise, you can certainly put a towel or pillowcase around this. Now Brad has another option that's going to penetrate a little bit deeper into the muscle tissue, helping you relax that back more,
Brad: Right. So if you're going, if you have an electric hot pad, they work very well, they feel good and warm. But a standard electric heating pad only goes about skin deep, a couple of millimeters. If you want to get real deep heat that increases circulation into the muscles and the joints. What you'll need is a Far Infrared heating pad. This is radiant heat. It's been around for a long time. And they'll, this will actually go into the tissues, 2.36 inches according to the studies that they've done with it. It's very deep, and it's really going to help circulation. They work very well. And now when you use a hot pack, whether it's the Far Infrared, the hot pack, or the standard electric, how you position yourself is critical. You need to be very comfortable like in the way we had. So if you lie down with a wedge, and it feels good, or pillows, that's the position you're going to use while you're using a hot pack.
Brad: In a seated position, if you have pillows behind your back, and it feels very good, put the same configuration with the pillows, and then the hot pack over the top of it so that you have that positioned properly so the muscles are relaxed, and then the heat goes on top to actually enhance that. And then after you heat up the muscles for a while, you can do the stretches, which can allow the stretches to be more effective. You're more pliable, things feel better, things move better. Okay, Mike,
Mike: The hot pack, just a forewarning, will feel a lot warmer when you have your full body weight on it versus just resting upon you. So just keep that in mind before using them.
Brad: Right. So one thing about Far Infrared, is they only heat in one direction. In other words, if you put it down with this side up, it's not going to heat. You have to go with them, they call these panels up against the body, and that does heat up in the right direction. So that's just a little forewarning.
Mike: So when it comes to Far Infrared, we typically work with the company, Thermotex. They've been trusted and we've used them for many years. Now this is the platinum model, which works nicely because you can use it on many different body parts. Not only low back pain, you can use it on legs, shoulders, and arms. It's very versatile and great for home use.
Mike: Now this is the pro model, Brad's trying to get them to rebrand it, "The Big Kahuna." But as you can see, it's more for the professional, someone that maybe has a physical therapy clinic, chiropractors. I mean you can use it at home. I certainly did.
Brad: Right. You know the cost is a little higher, but if you want full body heat, the way this works is you can lie on it in a flat position. It also works well sitting in a chair. It has six panels on the bottom, three here, one large one at the low back, and then two other panels up for the upper or mid back. And you can simply sit on it. It does have two different heating options or selections, which that one does not. Gives it a little more flexibility for people. They just came out with this as far as we know.
Mike: If you want to check out more videos on back pain, specifically sciatica, you can check out "Only 1 In 5000 Know This About Treating Sciatica."
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