Sleeping Tips for Back Pain

Back pain can make it tough to sit and/or lie down for extended periods of time. Here are some tips that can help improve your sleep quality over time, while suffering with back pain.  

Stretching Before Going To Bed
Research has shown that intensive stretching or yoga and help reduce low back pain. Stretching before bed can also reduce stress and help improve sleep quality. Check out https://insyncphysio.com/health-benefits-of-yoga/ for additional benefits yoga can provide for you.  
Exercise Your Core
Getting regular physical activity can improve the quality of your sleep. Building flexibility and strength in your core muscles can reduce the chances of back strains and muscle spasms throughout the night. Check out https://insyncphysio.com/core-stability-why-does-it-matter/ to learn more about core stability and ways to improve it. 

Get A Good Pillow And Mattress
Studies show a medium-firm mattress is the most beneficial to most people. A mattress too soft can cause you to sink too deep into the mattress, thus causing joint pain. Test out different types of pillows and mattresses and find the correct one for you.  

Find The Right Sleeping Position
Try not to sleep on your stomach, as this can cause you to arch your back. For most people, the best position is to lie on your side in a fetal position. Another popular position is to lie on your back, but place a pillow under your knees to help maintain the natural curve of your spine. If you are unable to find a good sleeping position, you may want to refer to a specialist or physiotherapist for further help. 

Good Sleep Hygiene
Back pain can disrupt sleep, but many other factors can add to the poor sleep routine, such as bad habits. Try avoiding stimulants in the evening, and avoid heavy exercise right before going to bed. Take time to wind down by relaxing, taking a warm bath, or reading before going to sleep. Removing distractions such as computers and TV’s can also aid in good sleep hygiene. 

If you have any pain during exercises, or are unsure about what you are doing, please consult your local physiotherapist before continuing.

Resistance Band Exercises for the Lower Body

Resistance bands are cheap, portable, and versatile. With a simple resistance band, you can easily do a full body workout. Here are some exercises for the lower body. 

Supinated Clamshell
Loop a band around your legs just above your knees. Lie on your back with hips and knees flexed to 90 degrees. Pull the knees apart while contracting your glutes and hold the position for a few seconds. Slowly return to starting position and repeat.

Knee Raises
Loop a band between the middle of your foot, and hold the band with one foot while lifting the other. Keeping your foot flexed, raise your knee up to hip level, making sure the band is still looped across the top of the raised foot. Pause at the top, and lower your leg back down to starting position. Repeat on the other side. 

Lateral Band Walk
Place feet shoulder-width apart to create tension on the band. From a half-squat position, take small steps from side to side, while keeping the band taught. 

Glute Bridge
Tie a band around your legs right above your knees. Lie on your back with your feet on the floor, bending your knees to 90 degrees. Lift your hips until your shoulders, hips and knees align, contracting your glutes through the entire movement. Increase the difficulty of this movement by repeating the movement on one leg, while sticking the other one straight out.

If you have any pain during exercises, or are unsure about what you are doing, please consult your local physiotherapist before continuing.

Stretches to do while on an Airplane

Extended durations on cramped, uncomfortable seats for hours can cause your body to become stiff and sore. These discrete simple stretches and exercises can help travellers reach their destination pain-free, while encouraging blood circulation throughout the body. 

Seated
Seated Spinal Twists – Sitting tall, grab onto the arm rests of your seat and twist your torso from one side to the other.

Neck Rolls – slowly twist your neck from side to side, and up and down. Then bring your left ear to your left shoulder, and repeat on the other side. Finally, tuck your chin down to your chest and repeat the steps until you feel the tension release from your neck. 

Shoulder Rolls – sit in a relaxed position with your arms by your sides. Roll your shoulders both forward and backwards.

Ankle Circles – lift your feet off the ground and roll your ankles in a circle.

Standing
Calf Raises – stand with your feet a couple inches apart and raise your heels so you’re on your toes. Hold this position for a few seconds before lowering back down. You should focus on stretching out your calves. 

Quad Stretches – In a standing position, bend your knee, grab your ankle and pull it behind your back. 

Pec Stretch – place your hand on a wall with your elbow at chest height. Rotate your body away to stretch out your shoulder. Repeat on the other side. 

In addition to these stretches, don’t forget to take the opportunity to walk around every few hours to get your blood circulating throughout your body. 

If you have any pain during exercises, or are unsure about what you are doing, please consult your local physiotherapist before continuing.

Hamstring Stretches

Hip, Low Back, Sacro-Iliac Joint Pain or Stiffness: Hip Flexor Stretch

1-Arm Prayer Stretch

5 Morning Stretches to Wake Your Body Up

Ever feel sore from a workout that you did the previous day or from sleeping in an odd position all night? Try out these quick and simple stretches in bed when you wake up in the morning!

1) Full Body Stretch: 

Lie on your back with your legs together. Extend both of your arms overhead. Lengthen your spine by stretching your arms as far overhead and your legs stretched as far downwards as you can. Hold for 30 seconds or more.

2) Spinal Twist: 

Lie on your back with your right leg extended straight down. Bend the left leg at the knee and cross your knee to the other side of your body. Open your left arm to the side and turn your head to the left side. Hold for 30 seconds or more, then repeat on the other side.

3) Hamstring Stretch:

Lie on your back with one leg extended straight down. Hold the back of your thigh or your knee and bring the other leg extended upwards towards your chest. Bring the leg close to your chest until you feel a comfortable stretch through your hamstrings. Hold for 30 seconds or more, then repeat on the other side.

4) Child’s Pose:

Begin with your knees and feet together. Then sit back on your heels and extend both arms overhead placing your palms onto your bed. Take a deep breath in and press your belly against your thighs. Hold for 30 seconds or more. Variation: Walk your fingers over to the top right corner of your bed as far as you can reach to stretch the left side of your body. Then repeat on the other side.

5) Bedside Hip Lift: 

Begin by the side of your bed with both feet planted on the floor and your palms placed shoulder-width apart near the middle of the bed behind your body. Press your heels into the floor and your hands into the bed to lift your hips upwards towards the ceiling to form a straight line between the top of your head and to your knees. Hold for a couple of seconds, then slowly bring your hips back down to the starting position. Repeat 5 or 6 times.

Images retrieved from:
http://www.yogabasics.com/asana/child/
https://www.thoughtco.com/funny-good-morning-quotes-2831856
http://rajora.in/fitness/exercise-sequence/static-streching/
http://www.satyaliveyoga.com.au/2015/02/26/sleepasana/
http://sunina.com/2014/03/
https://www.cosmopolitan.com/health-fitness/advice/

How to Improve Flexibility with a Yoga Block

Flexibility is the ability to move a joint through its complete range of motion and is important in carrying out daily activities and in athletic performance. Maintaining flexibility of all joints produce efficient movement and reduces risk of injury. It can be improved in all age groups by regularly engaging in exercises targeting different joints. Joint capsule stiffness, muscle viscosity, ligament and tendon compliance all affect flexibility. Therefore, adequate warm-up and proper stretching is essential in optimizing joint range of motion. Chronic conditions such as lower back pain may arise if an individual has poor lower back and hip flexibility, in conjunction with weak abdominal muscles.

Flexibility exercises are most effective through warm-up exercises or passively through moist heat packs or hot baths to increase the muscle temperature. An effective warm-up is typically 5 to 10 minutes long, but may be longer for older adults or individuals with health conditions. Watch the video below, led by InSync Physio’s Claire McDonald, on how to do a comprehensive warm-up targeting all of the major muscles:

Evidence-Based Recommendations:

Stretching for Beginners: 

1) Forward Folds for Tight Hamstrings: 

2) Hip Openers for Tight Hips: 

3) Standing Thigh Holds for Posture: 

Five Top Stretches for Swimmers

Strength and aerobic capacity decline with age. We can’t deny it but we know that if we continue to exercise we can slow the decline. Perhaps less talked about, but equally important to us swimmers, is that our flexibility also decreases as we age. This is due to an increase in something called a cross bridge, which are additional links between the collagen fibres at shorter intervals along the length. As a result the collagen in our connective tissue stiffens up. This in turn reduces the available stretch in the fibres.

Fortunately, like strength, flexibility can also be maintained through the right exercise routine. As with many things to do with the human body and mind it’s a case of use it or lose it.

In fact, things you already do to maintain your strength and aerobic capacity – such as swimming – will also help you maintain flexibility, but there’s more you can do:

• Use a variety of strokes in your swimming training. This will help maintain both strength and flexibility – and it’s more fun.
• Add yoga or Pilates to your exercise routine.
• Add a functional training routine to your weekly programme. (see panel below for details)
• Consider how your daily routine affects your strength and flexibility. Sitting at a desk all day lengthens and weakens the glutes and shortens the hip flexors. Swimming with tight hip flexors will often give you an ache in the lower back and weak glutes will result in a loss of power on hip extension causing you to overuse the hamstrings and ultimately swim slower. If this is you, target these areas on your exercise routines.
• Stretch regularly – try our five top stretches for swimmers.

Finally, don’t panic that you might have left it too late. Flexibility is actually quite easy to gain and maintain. We often hear people saying that they are simply inflexible and despite stretching they can’t develop muscle length. However it’s always possible to improve your flexibility and it just needs commitment to regular stretching over a long period. It’s true that some are physiologically going to be more flexible than others; however, everyone can improve with a little dedication.

1. Triceps. Hold for 15 seconds.

2. Deltoids. Hold for 15-20 seconds.

3. Pectorals. Hold for 15 seconds in each position

4. Latissimus Dorsi stretch

5. Thoracic mobility. Do 10 repetitions on each side

6 Stretches For Anyone With Tight Hamstrings

If you run, bike, are desk-bound all day, or have been sitting in a car or plane traveling, your hamstrings could use some extra love and length. It not only feels good to stretch this commonly tight area, but hamstring flexibility is also important for the health of your back, hips, and knees. Here are six easy and essential stretches that target the backs of your legs. To avoid injury, it’s best to do them at the end of a workout, when the muscles are warm.

Tipover Tuck Hamstring Stretch

This stretch is good for your hamstrings and also loosens tight shoulders.

• Stand with your feet hips-width distance apart. Interlace your hands behind your back. Keeping your legs straight, bend at the hips, tucking your chin and bringing your hands over your head.
• Relax the back of your neck, and if the stretch is too intense, release your hands, placing them on the backs of your thighs, and soften your knees. Hold for 30 seconds and slowly roll up to standing.

Scissor Hamstring Stretch

Easy to do anywhere and safe for injured backs, this hamstring stretch is great if you’re really tight.

• Stand with your feet together. Step your right foot back about two feet and bend forward from your hip joint, keeping your back and both legs straight. After holding for 30 seconds, switch sides.

Standing Hamstring Stretch

If the previous stretch isn’t deep enough for you, then try this variation. It’s perfect for doing on a bench after a run in the park.

• Prop your left heel up on a surface that is a little lower than your hip, such as a chair or bench. Flex your foot.
• To increase the stretch, bend forward toward your flexed foot by creasing at your hips. Hold for 30 seconds and switch legs.

Modified Hurdler Stretch

This basic stretch is perfect for targeting one leg at a time, and is great for those with really tight hamstrings.

• Sit on the floor and straighten your left leg in front of you. Bend the right knee, placing the sole of your right foot against your left inner thigh.
• Fold over your left leg, keeping your back straight. Hold for 30 seconds, then switch legs.

Forward Bend With Rounded Back

This stretch targets both hamstrings as well as the lower back.

• Sit on the floor, extending both legs straight out in front of you, legs together.
• Fold your torso over your thighs, gently rounding the back but keeping the legs straight. Hold here for 30 seconds and then sit up.

Reclined Hamstring Stretch

Here’s a relaxing way to stretch one hamstring at a time.

• Lie on your back. Raise your left leg as high as you can, keeping your pelvis flat on the ground. Hold your lower thigh and encourage the leg to move toward your head. Flex your foot to stretch your calf too.
• To deepen the stretch, place a yoga strap or towel on the ball of your foot and use your hands to pull the strap toward you. After 30 seconds, switch legs.