Sitting on your desk for almost eight hours every day can wreak havoc on your entire body. Whether it's your weight or your muscles, every part of your body suffers from the adverse effects of prolonged sitting. Not to mention, the problem intensifies with a lack of ergonomically-designed desks and chairs. Hence, it is common for office workers to experience musculoskeletal problems, such as backache and tightness in the shoulders and neck, leading to increased joint strain.
Fortunately, you can avoid these problems by incorporating stretching into your routine. Studies indicate that taking regular breaks to stand and stretch is a great way to boost productivity while strengthening your muscles.
In this post, we look at six lower back stretches that can bring amazing strengthening results for office workers. Alongside, we also share an amazing Flexispot product, Home office All-in-One Desk Bike/Bike Workstation V9, that allows you to stay active and strengthen your lower body, making a perfect addition to your home office. With this unique deskercise routine, you can look forward to stronger lower body muscles, a healthier back and improved overall health and well-being.
6 Lower Back Stretches for Office Workers
Standing Stretches
When you have to spend a lot of time sitting on your desk, standing stretches are an effective way to strengthen your back muscles and reduce your risk of backache. Some of the standing stretches you can include are as follows.
#1. Standing Trunk Extension Stretch
Standing trunk extension stretch helps stabilize the spine by reducing the pressure on your lower spine and improving its overall flexibility.
Here is how to go about standing trunk extension stretch.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart,
Place your hands on your waistline in the small of your back for support,
Gradually, lean backward to increase the arch of your lower back until you feel a little stretched. (Do not overdo it),
Hold the position for 10-20 seconds and repeat 3-5 times per session. You can gradually increase the repetitions as your lower body gains strength.
#2. Standing Hip Flexor Stretch
Another major muscle that weakens with prolonged sitting is your hip muscle. Hence, one of the stretches that can bring you excellent results is the standing hip flexor stretch. The stretch improves hip flexibility, helps reduce the large inward curvature in the lower back (which is a result of poor posture) and decreases pain in the lower back, hip muscles and knee joints.
Here is how you can perform the standing hip flexor stretch. You will need a desk to support you for this stretch, along with a chair behind you to support your foot.
Hold your desk as you stand and place your foot on the chair behind you (depending on your flexibility and muscle strength, you can also place your foot on the arm or back of your chair),
The foot on the ground should be pointing forward and bend the knee slightly,
Now push your pelvis forward and contract your glutes such that you feel the stretch on the front of your thigh and hip,
Hold this position for 15-20 seconds and repeat 3-5 times for each side.
Sitting Stretches
While standing stretches help ease lower back pain, you can also try out a few sitting stretches, reduce the stress on your spine, and improve its flexibility. However, when trying sitting stretches, make sure you maintain an adequate posture with your back and shoulders straight. Moreover, ensure that your hips are in line with your knees, which are bent at an angle of 90oand your feet resting flat on the floor.
Some of the standing stretches for strengthening your lower back include the following.
#3. Seated Lateral Trunk Stretch
This seated stretch is an amazing workout for strengthening the muscles that run along the sides of the body. Moreover, lateral bending helps stretch the lower back muscles, eventually reducing back stiffness and strengthening lower back muscles.
Here is how you can perform the seated lateral trunk stretch.
Sit on a chair while maintaining adequate posture.
Raise one arm over the head, stretching slightly with your other hand placed on your thigh for support,
Gradually bend on the opposite side till you feel a stretch along your side,
Hold the position for up to 20 seconds and repeat 3-5 times for each side.
#4. Seated Hamstring Stretch
When the hamstring is too tight, it rotates the pelvis backwards, which negatively impacts your spine's alignment, leading to backache. However, you can increase the flexibility of your hamstring, improve the range of your motion in your hip and improve your backache by trying out this stretch.
To get started with the seated hamstring stretch, you need to:
Sit on a chair with an upright posture,
Stretch one of your legs with the heel resting on the floor such that your knee is straightened,
Now gently lean forward until you feel a stretch behind your thigh and knee,
Make sure to keep your lower back straight as you stretch your hamstring muscles,
Hold the stretch for 20-30 seconds and repeat 3-5 times for each side.
Stretches on the Floor
As you try outstanding and sitting stretches for your lower back, don't forget to do a few stretches on the floor to strengthen your lower back and core muscles. Some of the stretches on the floor that you can try to include are the following.
#5. Knee to Chest Stretch
The knee to chest stretch is a great exercise for stretching your hip and lower back muscles. The stretch helps relieve pressure on the nerves in your spine and create more space for the nerves exiting your spine. While it is recommended for the lower back, avoid it if you have conditions like osteoporosis, as it can increase the risk of compression fractures in your vertebrae.
To go about knee to chest stretch, you need to:
Lie flat on your back and bring one knee up to your chest,
Hold your knee using both hands, pulling it towards your chest,
Hold the stretch for 15-20 seconds and repeat 3-5 times for each side.
You can also try the variation double knee to chest stretch by pulling both knees towards your chest together.
#6. Lower Trunk Rotation Stretch
The last on the list of stretches for the lower back is the lower trunk rotation stretch, which helps increase the flexibility of your spine and hips.
To get started with this stretch:
Lie straight on your back with feet and knees together,
Bend your knees making an angle of 45 degrees,
Lower your knees on one side until you feel a stretch on the opposite of your lower hip and back,
Hold the stretch for 15-20 seconds and repeat the stretch 3-5 times for each side.
But There is More That You Can Do
The six stretches for the lower back highlighted above are a great way to improve the flexibility of your spine and strengthen your lower back and core muscles. But there is more that you can do. If you spend a lot of time in front of your screen at your desk, then you need an ergonomic exercise bike that can help you stay healthy and active while you perform your otherwise sedentary office tasks. And what could be a better product than the Home office All-in-One Desk Bike/Bike Workstation V9 that allows you to stay active and strengthen your lower body while making a perfect addition to your home office.
The Home office All-in-One Desk Bike/Bike Workstation V9 allows you to burn calories and strengthen your core and back muscles while performing otherwise sedentary office tasks. The Home office All-in-One Desk Bike/Bike Workstation V9 features a spacious adjustable desk with options for forward, backward, up and down adjustments that allow you to stay productive whether you are sitting or standing. But there is more to this Home office All-in-One Desk Bike/Bike Workstation V9. Some of the other amazing features of this product include
Comfortable and height-adjustable cushion seat,
Digital display,
8-resistance levels that go from light to a more challenging workout,
Super quiet height adjustment and pedalling system,
Easy-rolling desk bike with gravity sensors that lock the wheels when the bike is standing,
Foldable space saving feet,
Ease of assembling.
