Case Study #1 - Upper Back Pain

Our first Broga case study!

 

When my co-worker DC was struck with a mysterious pain in the upper back last week he naturally turned to me, his trusty Broga guru, to help him in his hour of need. Okay, I volunteered my opinion unasked, but whatevs... the point is the guy had a sore back... and yoga came to the rescue! 

 

First of all... what's going on?

 

Neck and upper back pain can often be caused by muscle overuse, poor posture or over/under exercise. Often it can comes from holding uncomfortable positions for long periods of time; which, lets face it describes most of us working in offices in front of computers all day (that cricket coverage won't watch itself, will it DC?)

 

Improving posture in general, as well as the following exercises, will be the best way for DC to start feeling better again. In fact, awareness of our working habits and posture is the first step we can all take to avoid these problems arising in the first place.

 

So yeah, your mum could have written this post: SIT UP STRAIGHT! *wags finger*

 

In the short term however there are some exercises DC can do to alleviate the pain and start stretching out his muscles and aligning the spine (some of them he can even do at his desk without looking too much like a twat) 

 

Seated Chair Twist:

 

This one is great as you can do it at your desk. 

 

1. Sitting up straight, take a deep inhale, then on the exhale bring your right hand to your knee and the left along the back of the chair, turning your torso to face the right hand side.

2. Pause here and use the inhale to stretch your spine up tall in your new position.

3. On the next exhale begin to twist your waist and lower ribs further to the right.

4. Inhale, lengthen spine.

5. Exhale, twist shoulder and turn head to bring your gaze as far over your shoulder to the right as possible. Stay here for a few breaths - still using the inhale to lenghten and the exhale to twist further into the stretch.

6. Use an inhale to return the head and neck to the front first, followed by the torso.

Repeat other side. 

 

Shoulder Twist against the wall:

 

Find a wall (and bandana?) and place your arm at about a 45 degree angle along it. Turn your chest away from the arm and twist to look over your opposite shoulder. Breathe here - again; inhale straighten spine, exhale increase twist. Inhale - return head, then release. Repeat on other side.

 

Ardha Jathara Parivarttanasana

 

1. Begin by lying on your back, arms outstretched at shoulder height, knees bent with feet on the floor.

2. On the exhale bring your legs down to the left and place your hand on your knees to ground them into the floor. Gaze over your right shoulder. Keep both left and right side shoulders grounded into the floor, as you breathe in and out here deeply and slowly.

4. On an exhale return head to middle, then knees.

Repeat other side. 

 

"The Merv" (copyright DC, 2012)

 

1. Grab a bandana/ scarf/ belt and hold either end above your head so one arm is at ten and the other two.

2. On an exhale bring the arms down to the left.

3. Inhale - return to the middle.

4. Repeat on right and continue repeating in time with your breath.

Try and keep your arms parallel to the body, not pulling back which creates an arch in the lower back (bad!) - pretend there is a wall directly behind you which you are sliding the arms along. 

 

Longer term:

 

As mentioned earlier improving posture - along with strengthening the muscles that support the spine - is the best way of making sure these problems don't re-occur. 

 

First up DC needs to activate that core, and then continue doing regular exercises that work on improving core strength and postural alignment. A strong core works as a kind of "corset" for our spine, meaning it doesn't have to take the whole load of carrying our torso, head, neck and shoulders alone.  

 

Strong core muscles = healthy supported spine = healthy body/ happy DC. The spine does so much work for us; not just posturally speaking, but also in carrying messages all round our body to our organs and limbs. Give it back a little love!

 

In an upcoming post I will share some more exercises DC can do to strengthen this area, stretching and twisting the spine and the muscles which support it. In the meantime here is a handy video of yoga back exercises he can do in the comfort of his own home. 

 

Bromaste!

 

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor! These are suggested exercises, not solutions for medical issues or injury. Please consult your doctor if you have severe or re-occuring back pain, and before undertaking any exercise regime. Stay safe brogis :)

Core Exercises

As promised... here are three exercises to practice and make use of your new found core-activation skills:

The Glide:

Lie on your back, with your knees bent, hip-width apart and hands resting on your thighs. Inhale fully into the chest, and on then on the exhale release all the air from your belly feeling the belly button contract inwards towards the spine and pull the pelvic floor up and into your body - as you are doing this lift your shoulders and slowly glide your hands up your thighs towards your knees. Hold and take a few breaths at the top, then gently lower your shoulders back towards the floor. Repeat.

This is a very subtle movement, and for people used to doing crunches etc. it may not seem very "active" at first. However if done correctly it will begin waking up the core, and after a few repetitions you should start to feel this area burn. Unlike crunches however, your back is fully supported in this movement - instead of hurtling your body forward using your limbs and superficial abdominal muscles you are using your deep core muscles to bring you forward, strengthening and improving them as you go.

Now we add levers aka "arms":

Begin the same way, but on the inhale bring your arms up over your head. Then on the exhale curl your shoulders off the floor and bring your hands in between your knees. Hold here for several breaths, then on the exhale slowly roll shoulders back down to the floor -core is switched on throughout this all!

Inhale, and then on the exhale return the shoulders back up again, but this time bring the hands towards the right of your knees, as if you wish to touch your right ankle. Now we are using our obilique abdominals and creating a powerful stretch down the side waist. Repeat on the left side, then continue three (or more!) reps on each of the middle, left and right sides. With each exhalation remember -all air out, belly button to naval, pelvic floor up!

One more! Navasana (Boat Pose)

Start seated on the floor with legs straight out. Press your hands behind you, fingers pointing towards the back. Lift and extend your spine and lean back into the arms, without rounding through the back. On the exhale start lifting your feet off the floor to get the thighs about a 45 degree angle off the floor. Try and straighten your legs out like Carlo is doing above, but if this is not possible without your back rounding have them bent, with your shins parallel to the floor (as seen here).

Stretch your shoulders apart and your arms out in front like you to want to touch the opposite side of the room. Try to keep the belly flat, and keep using the exhale to bring that belly button to spine. Tip your chin slightly forward to get some nice room in the back of the neck. Breathe slowly and easily - try to stay in the pose for 10 - 20 seconds, increasing to a minute over time. Release on an exhale, inhale and stretch your arms above your head to finish.

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Now you know about this area and how to activate it, you can start using it all the time; both in your yoga poses and in every day life. So many activities can benefit from increased core awareness and spinal support - swimming, cycling, walking, standing, sitting on a chair at work - you name it. I will be re-visiting this subject again (and again and again) on the blog, but if you are jonesing for more core exercises right this very moment, the wonderful Sadie Nardini has a free video workout for you right here.

Thanks to my lovely patient (and easily bossed around) co-worker Carlo for modelling for these shots! I see a bright future as a sports model for this plucky young lad :)

Bromaste!

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor! These are suggested exercises, not solutions for medical issues or injury. Please consult your doctor if you have severe or re-occuring pain, and before undertaking any exercise regime. Stay safe brogis :)