Back Pain

Do you have back ache? Do you feel stiff? Are you tired of having aches and pains? It might be that you could ease some of your aches and pains with some simple self-help techniques.

Most aches and pains are caused by muscle tension around the body. In many cases this is a result of poor posture or having to spend long hours seated at a desk or driving.  The result is muscle tension as your muscles try to accommodate and stretch to the unnatural posture that is being required of them.

Note – use your common sense here.  If you have injured yourself, have a medical condition or are in acute pain don’t try these stretches.

If you are in reasonably good health here are some simple techniques for stretching tired muscles and easing away the tension.  Practice these as often as you can during the day. They are really good first thing in the morning to get you moving but definitely do them if you have been sitting for long periods of time, using a keyboard for an extended period or driving a long distance. If you do these stretches regularly you will notice the difference!  I guarantee it!

Exercises for warming the shoulders. 

1. Shoulder shrugs
   1. Sit or stand with your back straight and both feet on the floor
   2. Let your arms hang by your sides
   3. Hold your tummy in
   4. Now lift both shoulders up towards your ears. Hold them there for a count of 5
   5. Now let them drop back to a normal resting position. Let gravity help so that they really drop back quickly
   6. Repeat 3 times

Shoulder warming exercise

2. Shoulder Circles
   1. Sit or stand with your back straight and both feet on the floor
   2. Let your arms hang by your side
   3. Hold your tummy in
   4. Now circle both shoulders forwards, up to your ears, back and then down again to a natural resting position
   5. Repeat this 3 times
   6. Now rotate backwards and repeat 3 times

Gentle shoulder stretches

Stretch for opening the shoulder joint

1. Arm and shoulder stretch
   1. Sit or stand with your back straight
   2. Let your arms hang by your side and hold your tummy in
   3. Lift your right arm to shoulder height
   4. Now stretch your arm across the front of your chest
   5. Support your arm above the elbow but don’t pull your arm or try to force it further across your chest than is comfortable
   6. Hold for a count of 5 then repeat 3 times
   7. Repeat with your left arm

Hand clasp shoulder stretch

2. Hand clasp

1. Sit or stand with your back straight
2. Let your arms hang by your side and hold your tummy in
3. Interlock your fingers behind your back, palms together
4. Now stretch your arms down your back with your thumbs against your bottom
5. See if you can straighten your elbows but don’t force them
6. Hold for a count of 5 then repeat 3 times
7. Now change the interlocking of. Your fingers and repeat again

and if that doesn’t work

If you can’t ease your muscle tension with stretches then come for a deep tissue massage so that our massage therapist can assess the extent of the tension in your back and advise as to how to manage it.

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Monday to Thursday from 10:00 to 20:00

Friday and Saturday from 11:00 to 16:00

Sunday closed.

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Phoenix Health & Wellbeing is a Charity.  By coming to us for a treatment you can relax in the knowledge that you are helping others less fortunate than yourself. We use the proceeds of your treatment to subsidise those who would not otherwise be able to access our therapies. Roughly £3 to every £10 spent with us will go to help others.

Image from: http://www.backpaineurope.org/