The lumbar spine is the part of the spine that is most vulnerable to injury. Whether you’re standing up, lifting heavy objects, or just bending slightly to pick something up, the lumbar spine is always called into action. As you age, and with long-term incorrect posture, the lumbar spine undergoes repeated adverse compression over the years, which can eventually lead to pathological changes.
Chen Chaolong, an orthopedist and director of the Taiwan Quansheng Chinese Medicine Clinic, noted that the key to protecting the lumbar spine is to avoid muscle stiffness and strain. He shared a simple and practical spinal stretching exercise to help protect lumbar spine health.
Relaxing the Back Muscles to Prevent Pain
There are many causes of lumbar pain. In addition to referred pain—a type of pain that originates in one area but is felt in another—and age-related degeneration, such as from kidney stones, herpes zoster, or pelvic inflammatory disease, many clinical cases result from acute or chronic strain. Acute pain, such as that caused by a car accident or unexpected external impact, comes on quickly and is very painful. Chronic pain develops from long-term, repetitive stress—most commonly from sitting for prolonged periods.Chen noted that while maintaining a fixed posture for a long time, the back muscles are continuously pulled in a form of isometric contraction. Even without obvious movement, this can easily lead to back muscle fatigue, stiffness, and soreness. This is why many older people often suffer from back pain even when they sit all day.
Behind almost all chronic pains, there is one common problem: muscle stiffness. When the back muscles become stiff from long-term poor posture—combined with tightening of the psoas major muscle—it becomes quite easy to develop a herniated disc during sudden movements, such as lifting heavy objects. Chen emphasized that keeping the back muscles soft and avoiding stiffness is the key to preventing lumbar spine injuries.
Support Your Lower Back With This Easy, At-Home Stretch
For acute low back pain, Western medicine mainly uses anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs, and patients are recommended to rest in bed more often. Chen suggested that during the acute phase, Chinese medicine therapies such as acupuncture, massage, and acupuncture knife therapy can help relax tense muscles and realign the bones, significantly reducing pain.Traditional Chinese medicine has discovered that meridians are channels through which energy flows in the human body, connecting internal organs to various parts of the body. Specific points on these meridians with special functions are called acupoints. By stimulating the appropriate acupoints through acupuncture or massage, it is possible to treat diseases in the corresponding parts of the body.
Chen said that once the injured area has healed, it should be maintained through gentle exercise. He stressed that “medicine supplements are not as good as food supplements, and food supplements are not as good as exercise supplements.” For example, jogging, yoga, brisk walking, cycling, or swimming can promote blood circulation and nutrient delivery to the spine. During weekday lunch breaks, you can also lay out a yoga mat in the office and lie down for a while to relax your back muscles.
Knee Hug Exercise
Chen recommends the knee hug exercise as an effective way to stretch the lower back and release muscle tension:
Hug one knee: Lie down with one leg bent at the knee. Hold the knee with both hands and pull it toward the body while moving the upper body toward the knee.
Hug both knees: Lie down with both legs raised and knees bent. Hold your knees with your hands, pull them toward your chest, and move your upper body toward your knees.
Seated forward bend: Sit with your legs straight and your arms stretched toward your toes, trying to touch your toes with your fingers.
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