Did you ever wake up one morning feeling like it was impossible to stand up straight or reach for anything on the ground? Did you ever feel like your lower back was so tight that you couldn’t even perform your basic daily activities? Then you should know that you’re not the only one as non-specific lower back pain (unknown cause of pain) is one of the leading symptoms of pain in everyday life. It can be puzzling to figure out what causes the pain and a holistic approach is necessary to investigate the root cause(s).
It is important to note that if your pain has been persistent for more than 3 months (12 weeks), it is clinically considered as ‘chronic pain’ and you should seek professional help before you enter a gruesome cycle of pain and inactivity. We will explain how this cycle begins and what you can do about managing your lower back pain on a daily basis.
Understanding Pain
Most of us are scared of experiencing pain on any given level. This is an evolutionary process and we have to respect its roots. Maybe you heard one of your relatives or close friends bragging about having a high pain tolerance, meanwhile a slight stimulus can cause pain for you. This is very normal and every person has different pain tolerances to different inputs. Most important thing about pain to understand is that it doesn’t always mean there is something wrong about that body region. Pain is an electrical stimulus that acts as a messenger (imagine your brain is non-stop sending instant messages to your pain area and they’re constantly in touch until you or someone interrupts) and is merely a form of information about that body part's condition. Once you can really understand this phenomenon, you will be halfway through your management and recovery can begin immediately.
Before you should start your self-treatment journey, we highly recommend you to see your doctor if you experience any of the following symptoms:
- If your pain started after a traumatic event (i.e. falls, direct trauma, etc.)
- You start to notice a dramatic change in your body weight and composition without intending to
- If you feel any neurological symptoms such as tingling in your hands or feet
- Radiating pain to your limbs
- Stool and/or urinary incontinence
- Loss of strength
- If you are older than 55 y/o
Most of us get stuck trying to figure out what caused our pain. But we can guarantee that you’ll be stuck in a vicious cycle of unknowns and will drown yourself even further down within the pain cycle unless the cause is known beforehand.
FZYO kits are designed with all the necessary equipment and visual content to get you started on a self-management journey that can guide you to a better understanding of ‘your’ pain and graded exposure to many different exercises that you can perform anywhere. Additionally, our expert trainers and physiotherapists can help you virtually and create tailor-made exercise programs that can specifically target your injuries, anytime you want. Our unique exercise and workout programs can target your specific injuries as well since our trainers are all qualified to create rehab-training hybrid programs.
Below is an example muscle activation based workout that you can perform whenever and wherever you are.
6 At-Home Muscle Activation Exercises Without Equipment
Pelvic floor activations
- Lay on your back with your knees bent 90 degrees. Place a towel under your lower back. Tilt your pelvis to press the towel against the floor, hold for 3 seconds then curve the opposite direction.
Side raises for internal rotators
- Lay on your side with a straight body. Bring your upper leg slightly forward and turn your hip into full internal rotation (toes pointed towards the floor).
- Then raise your leg towards the ceiling and bring it back down slowly (like you’re braking down) and perform this activation for 30-60 seconds per side
Glute bridges
- Start with knees bent 90 degrees. Press your lower back into the ground and hold that position throughout this exercise. Drive your heels to the ground and lift your butt upwards into a bridge position. Focus the exercise on your glutes and avoid lifting up with your lower back.
- After a few times, try it with a single leg with your elevated leg flexed towards your chest. If painful, return to the double leg.
Bird dog
- If the regular exercise is difficult, keep both hands on the floor while extending one leg at a time. Focus on squeezing your glutes maximally at the top range.
Side bridges
- Side plank position on your knees. If easy, side plank on your feet. Focus on activating your deep core muscles.
Reverse lunges with end hip extension focus
- Step back into a lunge position. Squeeze your glutes before descending down and maintain that activation throughout the movement. Switch sides with each repetition
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