It is quite common to experience low back pain and stiffness when you first get out of bed in the morning. Origins of low back pain can vary as your musculoskeletal systems is made of muscles, bones, tendons. ligaments and connective tissue. These systems work together to create support, stability and movement.
Tightness in your low back can also be triggered by dysfunction in other muscles including your hamstrings and hip flexors. The hip flexors are comprised of a group of muscles that work together to bring your leg in a upward motion towards your body. The two muscles that create the hip flexor complex are called the psoas major and iliacus. The psoas muscle is attached to the lower six vertebrae of your spine, therefore tight hip flexor muscles often "pull" at the low back.
It is important to stay physically active and have a regular stretching routine to help reduce lower back pain or prevent it from returning. I often instruct my patients to incorporate a quick and easy stretching routine first thing in the morning to help decrease the likelihood of experiencing these symptoms.
Here are some quick and easy stretches to do before you start your day. Click the exercise to see a video demonstration.
Perform these basic stretches to help ease lingering morning pain and stiffness. If you are experiencing more chronic pain, where the pain does not seem to go away as you get moving or it persists for longer than 3 months, contact the clinic and we can discuss further interventions to help you get back to doing the things you love to do.
