Health Blog by YinTeing

This is continuation from a previous published post on How to Overcome Shoulder & Lower Back Soreness When Travelling .

4.  Shoulder stretch- very good to relief tension in the shoulders and back area. I always do this exercise. (click HERE to view the picture from another site)

It gets more effective when done with a resistance/exercise band (holding the band with both hands shoulder width apart)

5. Another standing shoulder and arms stretch (click HERE to view the picture from another site)

 6. Shoulder stretching using exercise bands (click HERE to view the picture from another site)

   7. Child’s pose

8. Spinal roll – with this pose, slowly, in a rocking motion, roll yourself to left and right. It removes the tension and pressure on the spine.

Click HERE to view the image from another site.

9. Spinal balances (click HERE to see the image from another site)

This is an effective exercise for lower back stiffness but need to be done correctly. The back has to be in an almost straight line- most people have the tendency to curve their backs upwards- this can hurt the lower back. Tuck in the tail bone when doing this exercise. As this exercise also involves balance, do it slowly if you are new- slowly raise your hand and the opposite leg, then lower down and continue on the other side.

 10. Lateral stretch left and right with exercise band- make sure you tuck in your tailbone and keep the lower back straight when doing this. (click HERE to see the image from another site)

Hope the above stretches help you relieve some stiffness. Please don’t do stretches on cold muscles.

Lower back pain/ soreness is quite common during travelling especially if the traveller does a lot of walking, carting their heavy backpacks with them. It brings a lot of discomfort as the muscle soreness prevents a good night’s sleep, decrease enjoyment and may slow down the travel. Most of the time, travellers who want a quick fix will douse themselves in painkillers.

Before resorting to pain killers, here are the following mini tools that I bring along during travels to ensure the well-being of my back:

• Exercise band
• Guadsa board

Now you would think how would both the items above help to relieve back pain?

Lower back pain is likely caused by tight hamstrings and/or tight hip flexors and/or erector spinae (spine muscles). Stretching can do wonders to relieve the ache of your body- when your muscles are tight, you gently stretch to loosen them. For a more useful guide, please read my previous post on Overcoming Lower Back Pain.

Even though you may normally do yoga or stretching exercises in your gym, once you are out there travelling, you will no longer be stretching those muscles. After a while, your muscles will become tight. When you attempt to stretch your tired hamstring muscles after a long day’s of walk, you will find it much easier to stretch using an exercise band as it will help you stretch easier.

Stretches you can do (click on the link to view the pictures):

1.  Hamstring stretches . You can do it either standing or sitting

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I have to quote a passage that I read from the book  The British Holistic Medical Association: Beating Back Pain by Dr John Tanner.  What I like about Dr John Tanner’s book is that he is a qualified practioner in orthopedic medicine and psychology. He goes into in depth discussion on matters related to back pain- from diagnosis, clear description of various causes and the role of holistic cures in relieving the conditions.

In one of the chapters, he related psychological factors as one of the possible reasons of back pain. He told a story of a patient who was wrongly misdiagnosed as having multiple sclerosis but it was actually due to years of repressed emotions:

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Lower back pain is one of the most common ailment faced by people from all walks of life and work occupation.

If you suffer from severe lower back pain to the extend that you are unable to walk or move, please consult a physican to rule out any spine injuries, slipped disk or herniated disk.

I’ve known of 2 friends who suffer from back pain- one has such severe pain that he had to be hospitalised and another has perpetual back pain (means the pain is always with him, affecting his activities of his daily living and sleep). But the MRI scans does not indicate any slipped disk or spine problem. This is not surprising because scans can only detect any broken bones, irregular bone or spine structure.

But it will not detect muscle imbalances- namely tight or weak muscles. Sometimes, the pain from the neck all the way to the knee and ankles could be due to your feet structure- flat feet or feet that have an excessive arch. If you correct the condition, most of the time, the pain will also be gone. For my 2 friends, their pain is real but they are told by doctors that “it’s all in your head.”

There are a few approaches you can use to overcome lower back pain:

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In the world where everyone’s obsessed about looking like body builders or super models, the focus has always been on cardiovascular and strength training. There’s even growing trend that’s talking about how certain protein, steroids and supplements can form muscle bulks. Sorry, but in my blog, I do not cover any other methods towards fitness and health except figuring out sensible eating plans and exercise. No shortcuts here.

I have just gone through a book: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Core Conditioning (Illustrated) by Patrick S. Hagerman.

The author talks about the importance of core conditioning, which according to him differs from yoga and Pilates. Core conditioning or known as function training are working on muscles that we cannot see. The core muscles- ie muscles in our trunk (not only at the abs but includes chest, back and hips) are what put us together and enable daily functions such as carrying things, balancing and posture.

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