Ever see a cat with a bad back?

Exactly.

Back pain can be debilitating, derail a good training block, and lead to depression, as the pain is a 24 hour deal. I sustained an injury in a football match 20 years ago that left me in bed for 4 days and it’s been coming back with a vengeance every 12-18 months or so since, leaving me unable to do much more than shuffle about at home til it recedes.

I was lucky a couple of years ago to find a very good pilates physio, and rather than digging into my arse muscle as though he was desperately trying to find his last coin down the back of the sofa, he calmly ‘read’ my back with light touches here and there and pinpointed my issue as muscular weakness in my middle back and deep core – before this, I’d been told the main issue was my spine and that I was essentially pretty f*cked.

He gave me some exercises to do and I was feeling great in no time – then I stopped doing the exercises. And of course, in time, it occurred again, 5 weeks ago, really bad – it gets so bad that my lower spine shifts over to the right and my shoulders shift too, about an inch to the right. Quite freaky-looking.

So, I got on the anti-inflammatories, got a heat pad, and after 7-8 days it was just about ok, but I was exhausted from lack of proper sleep and the emotional and mental toll that comes with it. The whole process of dealing with it is so tough that this time, I decided, I would do all I could to give my tired back the best chance of this not happening this bad ever again.

On the 8th day I reintegrated the lighter of the stretches that are detailed below. After a few days I could do this whole routine and have been following this every day since.

I felt quite soon that I was improving the support system and though I had that feeling once or twice that I might tweak my back again, that fear you get from a twinge after a sudden movement – the back has held out. Now I have also introduced back strengthening exercises (will detail these in a future post), and feel that helping a great deal also. I also recommend on investing in a heat pad. When you feel any tightness down there, get it on for 10 mins, then stretch.

The key is consistency.

If like me you are prone to chronic pain, do these every single day – I do these as soon as I wake up, I keep the mat open near the bed and despite always having disliked stretching, I now actually look forward to it. Back stretching is the laziest form of stretching you can do – maybe that’s why I don’t mind it!

But, crucially, it works.

Here is my quick back stretching and strengthening routine:

1. Child’s Pose. 1-2 minutes, let it linger, and once you’re comfortable, stretch hands out a little further and then just reach out the right 3-4 inches, to stretch out the left side of your spine, then to the right, same.

2. Cat’s Pose. 5 down and 5 up, I don’t do these quickly, take your time. 6-10 seconds each time, to get a deep stretch.

3. Thread the Needle Pose. From the Cat, go into this. I take this slow too, 10-20 secs in each, doing 3-4 each side.

4. Bird Dog Pose. The first strengthening exercise. I do 8 on one side, steady, with deliberation, holding the pose for 3 secs, then do the other side.

5. Cobra Pose. If my back is not doing well I do this with elbows on the mat, if ok, I’ll do this straight-armed. Be sure to relax your buttocks and feel the effect in the lower spine. You can spend half an hour in this one if you like, but I usually do 30 secs then down to relax for 10, then 2-3 more at 30 secs.

6. Swimming Pose. At first, if recovering, just lift the arms. We want here to isolate more the middle back than the lower. Focus on contracting the muscles there when doing these.

7. Hip Flexor Stretch. Very important to include to include this as this muscle can be very tight but you don’t really feel it in the same way as a tight hamstring – however, it plays a crucial role in keeping your back free from pain. 15-20 seconds each side, can do 2 times on each if ok. Do not bounce into it though, take it slow.

8. Apanasana Pose. Lie on our back, raise knees to chest and give ’em a hug. Can hold for 30secs to 2 mins.

9. Leg Push Pose: Do these slowly. Be sure your lower back is flat on the floor, use a rolled towel under it if needed. We are working the deep core muscles here, to help support the back muscles. Raise legs to 90 degrees, and slowly extend one and bring it back, mentally focusing on pelvic floor core area. To ensure full stability, I do 10 on one side and then the other, and if ok, I do another 10 each side. Once comfortable with this, you can raise the arms and extend alternate arm over the head with each leg push.

10. Pretzel Stretch Pose. These will really let you know how tight yer buttocks are. I hold this for 20 secs on each side and do 2-4 on each.

Be consistent, ditch what isn’t comfortable, remember the pain of the last episode if you feel lazy, and good luck!