Stretching
Of course, if your back and neck pain stem from muscular tension, you will want to make sure you are stretching yourself out as much as possible. To reap the most benefits from this practice, you will need to stretch on a daily basis, preferably several times throughout the day.
- Touching your toes – Since the hamstrings are generally the tightest part of the body because of our sedentary lifestyles, it's no wonder that they contribute to lower back pain. To help release this tightness, try reaching for your toes as often as you can. Try not to keep the knees straight, but rather try to keep them soft so that you're not hurting yourself in the process.
- If you can't touch your toes – Place a chair in front of you and lean forward until your arms rest on the chair. This still helps to loosen your back, but prevents you from reaching too far and overstraining yourself. This is a good place to start when you already have back pain.
- Side reaches – When you are sitting or standing, try to reach your arms up over your head and slightly lean to the side without turning your body. The key is that you shouldn't change your gaze, so keep your head forward. This helps the rest of your body stay forward too.
