5 Simple and Safe Steps to Relieve Back Pain – for Pregnancy, Post-Partum, Manual- and Desk-Workers

Back pain is a prevalent issue in our society. Whether you are one of so many people stuck behind a desk for hours each day, a manual worker involved in heavy lifting, a pregnant mum whose body is changing rapidly by the day, recovering from your recent (or not so recent!) birth, or just someone who has back pain for no clear reason – it affects many people’s daily lives and can have a great limiting impact on what types of activities we get up to. There are many different reasons for back pain – some are purely muscular and muscle-fatigue related, others have more complex origins or even pathological causes. If you have suffered from back pain for a long time and your self-help regimes have not helped, do seek professional help. Seeing a manual therapist such as an osteopath is a good place to start.

Here are 5 simple and safe steps you can take to relieve your discomfort – as recommended by osteopath Fenja Hansen.

1. Introduce a regular stretching routine. Keeping mobile is the most important thing you can do to start relieving your back pain. Stretches can be a brief 5-minute event or a regular class like yoga or pilates. See my relevant blog post for easy exercises.

2. Start that core work! I’m afraid this is the one many people don’t want to hear – it’s all about strength. Your core muscles (and by this I mean all the muscles around the back and abdomen that are not in your arms and head) are essential for supporting the spine, in particular during repetitive activities. Doing basic exercises (see my blog) that activate the core and keep strengthening it regularly, especially during pregnancy and the post-partum period, is key to maintaining a strong back and pelvis and long-term pain-relief.

3. Avoid poor posture during prolonged sitting. If you’re sat for ages working at a desk, or holding a baby and getting into a hunching habit whilst feeding, it is important to try and support yourself in what you cannot fully avoid at present. If sat at a desk, make sure you are sat upright. Sitting at the edge of your chair and not leaning into your backrest actually facilitates this, as well as working your core at the same time. Roll your shoulders back and slightly tuck your chin to relax your neck and shoulder muscles. You can use a gym ball to sit on as it allows you to not be static whilst you sit in one position. See my blog for more information on this.

If you are developing hunch-over-baby back, supporting yourself with pillows to get into a comfortable and relaxed position.

4. Move on a regular basis throughout your day. With any kind of prolonged sitting, remember to get up and move regularly. I recommend to my patients setting a timer every hour to do 2-5 minutes of stretching when sat for long periods, and this works extremely well for them. If you are having to knuckle down and just get that project done, here are some super-efficient at-your-desk stretches that will keep you going and also improve circulation to the brain!

5. Make sure you sleep comfortably. Sleeping position is one of the main things I get asked about. Ultimately, you have to be comfortable. But if you are finding it hard to get into a good position to off-load your back, then try pillows in different places: Under your knees when on your back, between your knees when on your side, fewer pillows or an extra one for the head to make sure the spine stays neutral and relaxed. This is vague advice – this is because even though there is lots of advice out there on sleeping position, it is a very individual thing primarily dependent on your personal anatomy.

So happy trying – you might find some of these working quite quickly for you. If not, remember to seek professional advice.

For more info on how osteopathy may be able to help you, do contact me through my contact form, use the button above for WhatsApp or to give me a call, or DM me on any of my socials @heilkraftosteopathy.