No one wants to deal with muscle pain, especially when it comes to back pain. Unfortunately, though, back pain is a common problem that affects people of all ages. It can be caused by a variety of factors, including poor posture, muscle imbalances, and lack of exercise. Luckily, there are many exercises that can help alleviate your back pain–including one great, easy yoga pose.
To get down to the bottom of things and discover the best exercise to kick back pain to the curb, we spoke to personal trainer Rachel MacPherson, ACE-CPT and Pain-Free Performance Specialist from Garage Gym Reviews. She told us that the prone cobra pose can help to stretch and strengthen the muscles of the back, helping to relieve pain and discomfort. Read on to learn more about the benefits of this pose, as well as how you can try it out for yourself!
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Prone cobra
There are so many fantastic yoga poses that can target a number of issues, from stress to inflexibility–and, as it turns out, certain poses can help ease muscle pain as well, including pain in your back. MacPherson says that the prone cobra, which is a variation of the popular cobra pose, is her go-to move for back pain.
“It’s an excellent isometric movement, which means you hold it while contracting the muscles, which helps combat back pain and increase strength in your back,” she explains. Incredible! Tha means that when you do a prone cobra, not only are you relieving the pain in your muscles, but you’re also building strength in them.
MacPherson tells us that one way that a prone cobra helps combat back pain is the fact that it “helps prepare your body for moving the thoracic and lumbar spine.” She explains that these particular areas can become tight and painful if you don’t warm them up or if you sit for a long period of time, so ensuring they’re properly warmed up with a pose like this is a great way to prevent and relieve that pain. Additionally, she notes that the prone cobra allows you to “externally rotate your shoulders to counteract hunching and tightness in your upper back as well.” Perfect! Here’s how it’s done, according to her:
– Lay on the floor on your front, hands by your sides, with your palms facing the floor.
– Raise your chest and abdomen off the floor as much as you comfortably can, with your chin tucked toward your chest.
– Raise your arms off the floor and point your thumbs up toward the ceiling, opening your shoulders with palms facing away from you.
– Breathe deeply through your nose and continue opening your shoulders.
– Hold this position for 30 seconds or more if possible. You can build up to holding this pose for 3 minutes at a time.
– Repeat the movement for a total of 3 minutes, with breaks in the contraction if needed. (to take a break, simply rest on the floor until you can start again).
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Other tips for relieving back pain
While exercising with yoga is one great way to ease some of your back pain, there are a few other habits you can implement to ensure you stay as comfortable and pain-free as possible. For starters, MacPherson says you should try not to sit for too long without a break. Whenever you get a chance, she suggests that you “Get up and stretch, take walking breaks, and breathe deeply from your belly every hour, at least during the day.”
Additionally, make sure you keep your back and core strong, and stretch your upper body. “It’s vital to work on strengthening your back and core and stretching your chest and shoulders open to prevent tightness in your chest and shoulders, which pulls on your back, causing pain,” MacPherson concludes.
