Statesman Examiner

Top 5 Best Ways to Get the Stiffness Out and Get on With Your Day

Hey Team. In our clinic, we tend to hear all sorts of conversations, and honestly, you never know what you are going to get. Our physical therapist Randy is quick- witted and loves to get to the punch of a good joke at the slightest opportunity. He loves a good “dad” joke, making him my brother in comedy. What we also hear often in the clinic is the presence of back stiffness in the morning. Yep! By reading this today, there is a good chance that you are experiencing the same thing. I know for myself that if I sleep on a different bed or sleep too long, my back will be stiff in the morning. People often describe this as “getting older,” but it doesn’t have to be this way. Many people in their 60’s, 70’s, or 80’s can sleep just fine without back stiffness in the morning. So today, I am giving you some of my best tips to help you get the best quality sleep without the stiffness in the back.

Five Tips to Stop Morning Back Stiffness

1. Stretch the night before: Often, we go from being reasonably sedentary for several hours before bed, relaxing on the couch possibly, to being inactive, sleeping throughout the night, to suddenly waking up in the morning feeling very stiff and uncomfortable! One of the first ways to combat this is to start the night before. It may benefit you to do some light, low back stretching to increase blood flow and reduce muscle stiffness before sleeping all night. Consider using a foam roller to assist you in incorporating some soft tissue work before bed.

2. Stretch before getting out of bed: Taking a similar approach as before bed, try again to increase circulation, reduce muscle stiffness and improve joint mobility before even getting out of bed by incorporating some stretching. Remember stretching should not be painful…at times uncomfortable, but not painful. A few ideas to try include: bringing one knee up towards your chest at a time while keeping the opposite knee bent. Then try to bring both knees up simultaneously and hug your knees in towards your chest. Return to both knees bent with feet flat on the bed and allow both your knees to drop from one side slowly and then to the other, rocking back and forth slowly, gently, and with control. Lastly, keep one knee bent and let your other ankle cross over your opposite knee to create a figure 4 position. Gently pull your knee across your chest, going towards your opposite armpit. Try holding these stretches for about 10 seconds and 10 repetitions to start with, and feel free to increase the hold time as you feel your muscles starting to loosen up and go a little further.

3. Use the heating pad: If stretching right when you wake up sounds like torture, consider keeping a heating pad next to your bed. Use it as soon as you wake up and allow your muscles to relax without movement initially. As you feel your back start to relax, try to incorporate some stretches while still on the heating pad.

4. Seated active motions: A seated position is a great way to incorporate dynamic movement into your day. You can start slowly bending forward, bringing your hands towards the ground to allow your lumbar region to open and flex forward slowly. Engage your core as you sit back up and repeat as many times as necessary. Try sitting and rotating to your left, then right, back and forth, moving slowly and with control. Lastly, try bringing your arms overhead and gently side bending to your left, then right. Remember, never push yourself into pain! If one direction is painful, then ease off and see if it is tolerated without pain if you do not go as far. If pain continues, only go to the side that is not painful.

5. Breathe and engage your core: Our back can often become aggravated just with our first movements out of bed. The first roll, sitting up or as soon as you stand up to get dressed. To reduce strain on the lumbar musculature, remember to breathe, engage your core or brace yourself before rolling, sitting up at the edge of the bed, and bending over to start getting dressed. Think of gently pulling your navel towards your spine to set your core and maintain that core activation while moving and positioning yourself. Remember to continue breathing normally as you engage your core throughout your morning routine!

Ok Team, there you have it. I sure hope you can follow some of these to help with the stiffness in the morning. What do you do if you try all of these and still have back stiffness? Give me a call or email at the number below. The suggestions above are some of my best tips… but not all of them. Other factors in back stiffness are position, bed type, or your medical situation. We would love to get you ready to take on the day each morning without the same back stiffness preventing a leisurely wakeup. Overall, start trying this today, and if you need more assistance, we would love to help. Plus, if you come to the office in person, you might hear the laughter from Randy’s good “Dad” jokes. Keep Moving!

•The author, Rob Sumner, is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and owner of Sumner Specialized Physical Therapy. He’s happy to answer any questions about this article, wellness, fitness, or physical therapy overall by phone at (509) 684-5621 or by email at Rob@SumnerPT.com

CLASSIFIEDS

en-us

2022-05-18T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-05-18T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://statesmanexaminer.pressreader.com/article/281857237142695

Alberta Newspaper Group