3 Tips to Avoid Back Pain in the Morning
Most have experienced it. All, who have, will never forget it. What? Back pain in the morning. Nothing is worse than waking up from a great night’s sleep to take your first step out of bed, and stop dead-in-your-tracks from shooting back pain. What can you do to decrease your odds of having this dreadful event occur? Here are three tips to avoid back pain in the morning.
- Get out of bed properly – The proper way to exit a bed upon waking is to roll onto your side and use your arm to push up from the side-lying position. From this position, scoot to the very edge of the bed and get up using your legs, not your back. Most people will perform a sit-up from the back-lying position, and then twist to get out of bed. This latter method is a great way to hurt your spine.
- Do not bend incorrectly for at least one hour after you awake – Your spine has discs in between each vertebra. When you sleep at night, your discs increase size and become more susceptible to bulging/herniating. Therefore, you must avoid bending improperly for at least one hour after you awake to allow the discs to shrink in size. People frequently bend down to put on their socks and pants when they awake. Instead, bring your feet up to you to complete this task. Otherwise, make sure you bend properly so that you don’t injure your spine during that one hour period.
- Be careful of your morning workout – Some people like to get out of bed and start their day with a few stretches or exercises. This sounds great in theory, but your morning workout routine may put you at risk for injuring your back. Make sure your workout does not include any activities where you are flexing/bending your spine. What is one common exercise where people flex their spine? Sit-ups. The typical sit-up—performed with knees bent and lying on your back—places significant stress on your spine. You should avoid this typical sit-up. There are multiple alternatives to the typical sit-up mentioned that place less stress on your spine. Additionally, avoid any stretches or exercises that force you to bend your back, such as touching as your toes.
