A position that is recommended as actual therapy for your back is with your legs elevated, knees bent and your back completely flat. This position creates a pelvic tilt, puts reverse pressure on your lower back and helps build the strength of your lower back muscles. By elevating your legs and bending your knees you can actually feel your lower back moving. You can realign the weights and pressures on your vertebrae that may in turn be pressing on your delicate nerves, finding more comfortable and less stressful positions.
With an adjustable bed you can elevate your back and your legs into a fetal position with your knees bent and your upper body curled into them. This position releases your lower back onto the mattress, forcing you to relax and ease your everyday tension.
The higher your back, the less pressure put on your upper back, neck and shoulders.
Every time you elevate your back or your legs, you are gently realigning your vertebrae and changing the pressure they exert on your delicate nerves that can cause pain. Sometimes just an inch in either direction can relieve the strain that creates the pain.
As we get older, our vertebrae get closer and closer together. As we stand and walk, our vertebrae are forced still closer. If you have chronic back pain, the stretch-back exercise works like traction. Start flat and together elevate your back and your legs all the way up, and then all the way down. You’ll feel a complete stretch along your entire back. You’ll feel a gentle pull between each vertebrae. Feels great!
