The Chinese exercise for back pain is also known as Ba Duan Jin, "Eight Pieces of Brocade, Ta Chi and also Qigong, which are the primary Chinese exercises for back pain.
These Chinese exercises for back pain combine slow, flow movements, deep breathing and meditation to help improve your posture, strengthen your core and lower back muscles, increase your spinal flexibility and alleviate pain.
Ba Duan Jin, Eight Pieces of Brocade is a set of 8 specific movements that are designed to cultivate energy and stretch your body, it's also highly recommended for reducing lower back pain.
Tai Chi is often described as meditation in motion, which is a martial art that focuses on gentle, controlled movements which loosen tight muscles and increase flexibility and Qigong combines soft and fluid motions with mindful breathing to release tension and improve mobility.
The habit that can reduce chronic back pain is regular and low impact exercises like swimming, yoga and even walking.
These habits and low impact exercises can reduce your chronic back pain by strengthening the supporting muscles and improving your flexibility.
You should also consistently maintain good posture, remain active and avoid prolonged sitting and also manage stress to reduce chronic back pain.
Engaging in at least 2 days a week of muscle strengthening and stretching exercises, and focus on the core, back and the legs and maintaining a straight, upright posture while sitting and standing to avoid unnecessary spine strain and you can also set times to get up and move every 20 minutes to 30 minutes.
When lifting, you should bend at the knees and keep your back straight and keep heavy objects that you're lifting close to your body and practice yoga, meditation or breathing exercises to reduce muscle tension.
And maintain a healthy weight to reduce back strain and quit smoking if you smoke as it restricts blood flow to your spinal discs and ensure you have a supportive mattress, pillows and comfortable shoes to prevent strain.
The side plank exercise is also good for lower back pain and back pain in general and is also very safe and effective, which also strengthens important spinal stabilizers to protect your spine for less back pain and lower back pain.
Although if you feel any sharp pain, stop the exercise and avoid sagging and don't let your hips sag, as this can aggravate your lower back.
And if you have any severe or chronic back pain, you should consult with a physical therapist or chiropractor.
The exercises that Mayo Clinic recommends for lower back pain are wall sits, supine heel slides, single leg abdominal press, cat-cow exercises, knee to chest stretch and pelvic tilts.
Mayo Clinic recommends that you do gentle exercises and stretches to relieve your lower back pain by focusing on core strength and flexibility, which is often very achievable in 15 minute a day.
To perform wall sits for lower back pain, lean against a wall and then slowly lower your hips to a squatting position, while you keep your back flat against the wall.
To perform supine heel slides for lower back pain, lay on your back and then slowly slide one of your legs out straight, then back up to the starting position.
To perform single leg abdominal press exercises for lower back pain, lay on your back, with your knees bent and raise one leg to a 90 degree angle, then push your hand against your knee while using your abdominal muscles to push your knee back.
To perform the cat-cow exercises for lower back pain, on your hands and knees, inhale and then slowly arch your back, "cow", then exhale and round your back, "cat".
To perform the knee to chest stretch for lower back pain, lay on your back, with your knees bent, then pull one knee up to your chest using both hands, then press your spine into the floor and hold for 5 seconds, then repeat with the other leg, then both together.
For the pelvic tilts for lower back pain, lay on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat, then tighten your abdominal muscles to flatten your back against the floor and hold for 5 seconds and then relax.
Walking also brings huge benefits for lower back pain because walking helps to promote blood flow to stiff muscles and increases endorphin production, which naturally reduces pain as well as strengthens core muscles and back muscles to support your spine.
Walking is a low impact exercise that improves flexibility in your hips as well as in your hamstrings, which also reduces inflammation and decompresses lumbar discs without placing excessive stress on your joints.
When you walk, your blood flow improves to the soft tissues and joints in your lower back, which also helps to reduce inflammation and aids in healing.
The increase in blood flow from walking also triggers the release of endorphins, which are your body's natural painkillers, which help to manage chronic back pain.
Regular walking also helps lower back pain by engaging core and back muscles, which also help to stabilize your spine and reduce your risk of further injury.
And walking, keeps your spine as well as your surrounding muscles, flexible and reduce stiffness in your hips, hamstrings and back, and unlike running or high intensity sports, walking is instead gentle on your joints, while also still providing the necessary mobility and it also promotes an upright posture, which also helps to decompress your lumbar discs.
Walking also helps to maintain a healthy weight, which also reduces the overall load and pressure that is placed on your spine, which helps to also reduce back pain and lower back pain.
The muscles that need strengthening for lower back pain are your core abdominals, transversus abdominis, glutes, buttocks and your hamstrings as these muscles support your spine and your pelvis.
Exercises like bird-dogs, glute bridges and opposite arm/leg lifts and core engagement, "drawing navel to spine", build stability and stretching tight hamstrings and hip flexors reduces strain on your back.
Having a strong, flexible posterior chain, glutes and hamstrings and a stable core are all crucial for reducing spinal impact.
Lower back pain that occurs just above the buttocks often comes from muscle strain, poor posture, sciatica, herniated discs, or sacroiliac (SI) joint issues, stemming from everyday activities, lifting, prolonged sitting, or underlying spinal conditions like spinal stenosis or arthritis, with common culprits including overworked gluteal or lower back muscles.
People with persistent low back pain also have altered patterns of coordination between the trunk and pelvis and increased paraspinal muscle activation during walking.
If you have lower back pain and you can barely walk from the lower back pain, you should seek immediate medical help if you have numbness, weakness, or loss of bowel/bladder control, as this signals a serious issue like nerve compression, but otherwise, try gentle movement (walking short distances), hot/cold packs, OTC pain relievers, and gentle stretches (like Child's Pose) for temporary relief, while contacting a doctor for persistent or severe pain to find the root cause and get proper treatment like physical therapy.
Lower back pain when standing or walking can be due to muscle fatigue or injury.
The lower back pain may also be due to conditions such as spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, hyperlordosis, and sciatica.