Do you see yourself whining about a backache even after maintaining a good posture and doing everything the book asked you to do? Obesity is one of the major reason behind lower back pain. Once you cross the recommended BMI (Body Mass Index) for your height, those extra pounds add strain to your back muscles. You may want to get rid of those extra pounds that you have put on, to relieve yourself from the pain.
Largely there are two factors that contributes to back pain:
- When the area close to your stomach and waist expands, it forces the spine to arch backward so it can compensate for the weight. This puts strain on the muscles, vertebrae, nerves and disks that are present in the back.
- If you are overweight, this excess weight puts extra pressure on your leg muscles. This results in you having to lock your knees so that the muscles don’t have to work too hard. This forces the spine to arch backwards leading to compression of muscles and causes lower back pain.
The only way to tackle back pain in a situation like this is by losing those extra weight. You can try out these below mentioned exercises to lose weight and keep your back healthy:
Sleeping Pelvic Tilts
This back pain exercise that comprise of spinal movements help in supporting and strengthening the abdominal muscles and lower back. You will feel better after doing this exercise as it also gives your back a massage.
- Lay on your back with your knees bent and let the soles of your feet touch the floor. This is the neutral position, where the natural curve of your spine automatically elevates your lower back from the ground
- Take deep breaths and on exhaling, carefully push your hips towards the ceiling. Make sure that you don’t lift your bottom from the floor, but feel your lower back press into the ground. At this position, your back should be straight and should not be curved
- Bring your hip down again back to the neutral position
- Keep repeating this exercise for about 5 – 10 minutes
Short Bridges
- Lay on your back with knees bent and your feet flat on the ground
- Keep your arms parallel to your body and lift your hips off the ground so that your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to the knees.
- Stay in this position for some time and then lower your body
Crunches
- Lay on your back and keep your knees in a bent up position
- Keep your arms behind your head
- Once you reach this position, curl your upper body upwards off the floor you are laying on keeping your arms straight behind your back. Lift up just enough for your shoulder to come off the floor.
- Ensure that your neck is not moving forward
- Repeat this movement 10 times to make a set and repeat the set at least 3 times
If you are going through excruciatingly painful back pain, applying an ayurvedic gel like Moov can help in reducing the pain.