In a previous article, You May Be a Morning Person, But Your Back Isn’tI mentioned that the lower back is vulnerable in the morning after waking up. Having been a chiropractor for over 35 years, I suggested starting the first hour of the day slow and letting your back warm up before engaging in rigorous activity. My experience has shown that patients who follow this idea are less likely to injure their back.
With this article, we’ll go into more detail with specific steps one can take in the morning to help your back, rather than make a back ache worse.
We can start protecting our back as soon as we wake up. When we get out of bed, we usually perform some version of crunches. Crunches in the morning increase the pressure on the discs in your back, increasing the chance of injuring your back. A better way to get up is to perform a “side up.” A side up is done by turning to one side or the other and swinging your legs over the side of the bed while lifting your arms up.
We can then do some gentle and safe stretching exercises in the morning. An exercise as simple as lying on your back and gently pulling each knee toward your chest for five seconds, for five repetitions, can be effective in warming up your back. Gentle yoga-like stretching is another helpful method of preparing your back for the stress of the day.
Once we are awake and ready and presentable for the day, it is wise to start slowly with our activities. Don’t repetitively bend at the waist or lift and carry heavy objects early in the day. For example, years ago, I learned the hard way that carrying a heavy suitcase to my car in the morning for an early plane flight is not a good idea. I hurt my back doing this and had a rough flight and the first few days of my trip. Now, I take my suitcase to the car the night before a trip, when my back is nice and warm.
Similarly, it’s best to postpone tasks like vacuuming, gardening or mowing the lawn, or morning exercise classes like Zumba until later in the morning or in the day. Try to do smoother, easier tasks earlier in the day.
These several ideas, if followed over time, are great simple ideas for avoiding low back pain.