How to relieve back pain at home during Spring Festival celebrations

Author: Xinhua News Agency Reviewer: N/A Curator: N/A Production/Organizational Information: N/A Title: How to relieve back pain at home during Spring Festival celebrations Introduction: Stay active during the Spring Festival! Simple home exercises can relieve back pain from long sitting and help you celebrate comfortably.

During the Spring Festival holiday, staying at home and relaxing often leads to prolonged sitting or lying down, which can easily cause back pain and discomfort. Let’s get moving together! By incorporating a few home exercises along with adjustments to our daily habits, we can alleviate the stiffness and discomfort caused by long periods of sitting or lying down. This will help us maintain a healthy and comfortable state, allowing us to enjoy the New Year happily!

Why do backaches and lumbar pain come knocking?

During the Spring Festival holiday, many people believe that lying on the sofa and scrolling on their phones is a way to relax. However, this static and poor posture can actually keep the muscles and ligaments in the lower back and neck in a constant state of tension, disrupting the biomechanical balance of the spine and leading to pain.

On one hand, when lying down for extended periods, the muscles in the lower back and neck need to continuously contract to maintain body posture (such as when the waist is suspended in a semi-reclined position or when the spine is twisted in a side-lying position). This prolonged static contraction can obstruct blood circulation within the muscles, leading to the accumulation of metabolic waste such as lactic acid and inflammatory mediators in the local area, which in turn irritates the nerve endings and causes a sensation of soreness.

On the other hand, a normal human spine has four physiological curves (cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral). These curves help absorb shocks and maintain balance, but poor lying or resting positions can disrupt them. Additionally, some seemingly static postures actually involve muscles that are still working quietly. For example, when lying down while using a smartphone, the arms must hold the phone or be supported at the sides of the body, which keeps the shoulder muscles tense. This type of static fatigue can gradually accumulate and eventually lead to pain.

4 simple exercises you can do at home.

Helps relax muscles and relieve soreness.

1. Lazy Cat Stretch: Start in a kneeling position with your hands and knees on the ground, ensuring your wrists align with your shoulders and your knees are aligned as well. Keep your back straight. Inhale, lifting your head and arching your back, allowing your abdomen to sink and your hips to rise, feeling the stretch in your shoulders, back, and lower back. Exhale, lowering your head and rounding your back, bringing your chin as close to your collarbone as possible, and feeling the contraction of the back muscles. Repeat this process 5-8 times.

2. Lateral Stretch: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, and cross your hands above your head. Slowly bend to the left side until you feel a stretch in your right waist (do not twist your body). Hold for 15-20 seconds, then return to the neutral position and repeat on the other side, 2-3 sets on each side.

3. Hands Supporting the Sky: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms hanging naturally. Inhale while slowly raising your arms from your sides to above your head, palms facing each other. Look up at your hands and hold for 3-5 seconds, then exhale and lower your arms. In a seated position, sit on a chair with your feet on the ground and hands crossed over your abdomen. Inhale as you raise your arms to your ears, looking up at your hands and holding for 3-5 seconds, then exhale to lower your arms. Repeat this 3-5 times.

4. Bug Training: Lie on your back on the bed with your arms extended straight out, palms facing each other. Bend your knees and hips at a 90-degree angle (with your lower legs parallel to the ground). Bend one arm and the opposite leg (for example, bend your right arm and your left leg), while simultaneously extending the other arm and the opposite leg (extending your left arm and your right leg), forming a straight line with your body. Slowly return to the starting position and switch sides, performing 10-15 repetitions on each side while keeping your lower back tight and preventing any sagging.

It is important to note that the movements should involve a slight stretching sensation; do not pursue an extreme range of motion to avoid straining your muscles. Maintain natural breathing, repeat each set of movements 2-3 times, and perform 2-3 sets daily.

In addition to the above actions, adjusting daily habits can also help reduce tension in the lower back and prevent chronic strain at its source. For example, when sitting, ensure proper support for the lower back, avoid slouching and crossing legs, and sit on the front half of the chair; when standing, keep your feet shoulder-width apart and distribute your weight evenly; when lying down, choose a mattress with medium firmness and a suitable pillow height. It's important to regularly get up and move to avoid prolonged sitting or standing. When lifting heavy objects or doing housework, use your legs or hips for strength and avoid bending directly at the waist. Keep the lower back warm, avoid sudden exertion, strengthen core muscle exercises, and reduce the load on the lower back during daily activities like getting up or putting on shoes to protect spinal health.

Beware! These relief exercises are actually unscientific.

Moderate twisting and bending of the waist can relax the muscles in the lower back, maintain the mobility of the lumbar spine, and relieve stiffness in the back and waist after prolonged sitting.

Many people are accustomed to using movements such as twisting their waists and bending forward significantly to alleviate lower back pain. However, these actions can place extra pressure and distortion on the lumbar spine, potentially leading to misalignment of the small joints in the lumbar region, acute lumbar strains, and may accelerate disc degeneration, increasing the risk of lumbar disc herniation, which can result in exacerbated pain.

During the Spring Festival holiday, it is essential to pay attention to diet, daily routine, and keeping warm.

How can one prevent and alleviate discomfort in the lower back? A combined approach of diet, lifestyle, and warmth proves to be more effective.

In terms of diet, emphasize the supplementation of calcium, vitamin D, and high-quality protein. Consume an appropriate amount of milk and choose foods such as soy products, dark green vegetables, fish, and lean meats to strengthen bones and muscles. Avoid foods high in sugar and fat to prevent weight gain, which could increase the burden on the lumbar spine.

Maintain a regular sleep schedule and avoid staying up late. Go to bed before 11 PM every day to ensure 7-8 hours of sleep, which helps with muscle recovery.

Keep the waist warm by wearing high-waisted pants and avoiding outfits that expose the waist. In cold weather, opt for pants with a waist cincher or use a scarf to protect the lower back and abdomen. Avoid sitting or lying on wet surfaces, use warm water for housework, and change out of wet clothes promptly on rainy days to prevent cold and dampness from entering the body.

Source: Xinhua News Agency

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