How your breath can provide pain relief and reduce stiffness

We’ve spent the last several months creating a program to help solve low back pain, which impacts 80% of Americans at some point in their adult life. A small but important part of that program corresponds to a topic that the Docs at Movement Rx have been studying and assigning as part of the Home Programs we give to our patient clients. It’s about how to use breath for pain relief.

This topic is the ONE thing you should learn this week. It helps relieve pain, improves both mobility & stability, and it can help relieve stress or anxiety.

The ONE thing is diaphragmatic breathing. Yep! Use breath for pain relief. Not earth-shattering, I’m sorry to say. But it’s soooo dang EFFECTIVE. I guarantee 95% of us are not doing it or aren’t doing it when it counts.

We recently posted the 1 Minute Low Back Breath that includes some breathwork tests for anyone with back pain. You can test yourself and see that quick fix HERE.

‘If you’d like to learn more about other techniques to reduce pain and stiffness in your back, download our free guide on The Low Back Fix.‘

Did you also know that diaphragmatic breathing 3 minutes a day can decrease blood cortisol levels (your stress hormone)?

So what is diaphragmatic breathing?
See this excerpt from the Harvard Medical School Journal…

“Deep breathing also goes by the names of diaphragmatic breathing, abdominal breathing, belly breathing, and paced respiration. When you breathe deeply, the air coming in through your nose fully fills your lungs, and the lower belly rises.

For many of us, deep breathing seems unnatural. There are several reasons for this. For one, body image has a negative impact on respiration in our culture. A flat stomach is considered attractive, so women (and men) tend to hold in their stomach muscles. This interferes with deep breathing and gradually makes shallow “chest breathing” seem normal, which increases tension and anxiety.

Shallow breathing limits the diaphragm’s range of motion. The lowest part of the lungs doesn’t get a full share of oxygenated air. That can make you feel short of breath and anxious.

Deep abdominal breathing encourages full oxygen exchange — that is, the beneficial trade of incoming oxygen for outgoing carbon dioxide. Not surprisingly, it can slow the heartbeat and lower or stabilize blood pressure.”

What should you do about it?
Try this breathing technique from Dr. T. Follow her directions and try a 2-3 minute session 3 times a day to start.

DIY-9090 from Movement Rx on Vimeo.

If you’d like to learn more about other techniques to reduce pain and stiffness in your back, download our free guide on The Low Back Fix.
 
To Access .Back Pain Exercises you can do on your own, View Now.