Tips for back pain

Who doesn’t have it? Whether at the desk in the office or during other sedentary activities you tense up and this over time causes back pain.

Here are some exercises you can do in the office:

• Stretch your back, keeping the feet parallel, take your arms straight up and tilt slightly forwards and backwards with a straight back. (8-10 times). foto 1.

• Sit up straight and stick your chest out, then bring your arms in front of your chest, making the upper back quite round. Alternate stretching and rounding you back (8-10 times). foto 2.

• Seated upright with a straight back put your left hand on your right leg. Put your right arm onto the back of the chair and rotate your back until you’ve found a comfortable stretch. foto 3.

• Sit up straight, both legs parallel press your hand against your head and push against it (10 seconds, then release slowly and switch sides). foto 4.

• Then with both hands behind your head press your head against your hands so that you can feel the tension in the neck muscles (hold also for 10 seconds and slowly release). foto 5.
• The same also from the front: Hands against your forehead, pushing your head against your hands (hold also for 10 seconds). foto 6.

When sitting in front of the PC we quite naturally after a certain time acquire a posture of relief: The shoulders are brought forward and the lower back curves. One in three women and one in five men know the symptoms and suffer from back pain, sometimes combined with headaches. But before you go to the doctors or pharmacy, here are some tips for prevention and improvement:

• Take a break at least once an hour where you stretch and elongate, circle the shoulders and head, shake and loosen up.

• Get some fresh air now and again.

• Keep reminding yourself to sit up straight, pulling your shoulders back in an exaggerated way. Keep changing your seated position; maybe an alarm clock will help remind you.
 
• Treat yourself to a massage now and again.

• Arnica oil also helps warm up the tense area and promote blood circulation to the muscles.

• Get a medicine ball as a chair replacement (even if it is only used now and again).
• Practising sport is of course essential: Jogging and swimming help, even more effective are yoga and pilates because they don’t only stretch but they also strengthen this region, ideally do them regularly each week (2-3 times).

A personal trainer can respond to your individual wishes and needs and together you can choose and perform the right exercises. •