Reduce muscle and joint tension. Instead of chasing the pain, let’s get ahead of it. What happens to most of us when we injury our shoulder or feel a pull in our back? We rest, take it easy, possibly take some sort of pain reliever, and hope that we wake up the next morning feeling as good as new. How about trying these exercises first!

But in reality most times we wake up the following day and our symptoms might be worse. The feeling of tightness, soreness, and decreased mobility occurs and we are stuck with the feeling of doubt and frustration. Should I go to my PCP, or get a massage? How about trying these exercises first!

Standing lower back stretch

Keep your elbow straight against the wall. Reach with your other arm up to the sky while pushing your pelvis to the side without rotating it, feeling a stretch along your side and low back

3×30 second holds

Think about what might have happened before you injured your shoulder or felt that tweak in your back. Our lives can be fast-paced and our bodies go through a lot of trauma even without us knowing it. The body endures many vulnerable positions, with wear and tear occurring without us knowing or feeling the pain. If we follow these patterns of repetitive stresses to our bodies and further go along this continuum then our bodies will develop multiple areas of pain that affect our daily lives. But what happens before the pain gets so bad in the neck or the tweak in our low backs occur and prevents us from what we enjoy?

There is a period between not being in pain and then being in pain that we can call the BREAKDOWN period where undue stress to our bodies will eventually lead to pain. Few people have perfect posture. Those of us who work on our feet often stand swaybacked. Those of us who work at desks push our heads forward and hunch our shoulders, and sit so long that our hips become tight. Over time, our muscles get stuck in the memory of those positions. Take a small break from work and try these exercises!