Thai Massage Postures for Relieving Lower Back Tension

Although bodily pain may seem to be an everyday part of your life, it doesn’t have to be so. Thai massage and other therapies offer a solution that can alleviate your aches.

According to the University of Maryland, 60% to 80% of the U.S. population struggles with lower back pain. Why does more than half of the country experience lower back pain?

Unfortunately, the number one culprit is technology. Without that fabulous device that allows you to Google “back ache solutions,” you probably wouldn’t be feeling the pain you’re looking to relieve in the first place.

The reason for our back pain epidemic is really quite simple: the human body was not designed to accommodate the positions we’re contorting ourselves into while using technology for so many hours of the day.

The results of the British Chiropractic Association’s survey found that 86% of respondents reported back pain. The Association noted that sitting at a desk for six to ten hours a day is not an appropriate position for human bodies.

Hunching your neck over a smartphone is a more recently developed posture that’s causing an uptick in symptoms in people ages 16-24. 45% of these young adults report types of back and neck pain that are usually only reported among the older population.

According to an article in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science, even the modern position of crossing your legs can cause a posture imbalance, leading to back pain.

Fortunately, there are two things that can ease this soreness: prevention and treatment.

Prevention

For a continued list of postures and activities that lead to pain, check out the NHS’ published list. Three of these positions are due to technology use, such cradling your phone in the nape of your neck and extending your chin when sitting at the computer.

A common theme in prevention is awareness. Simply paying attention to the postures you adopt on the computer or the phone will assist in fixing your movements and preventing pain.

Treatment

If the damage has already been done, Thai massage is a wonderful option for treatment. A knowledgeable practitioner can loosen and realign your sore back, providing valuable comfort and relief. There are three great poses in particular:

1. The prayer pose focuses on the lower back. To do it, sit with your butt on the floor in a position similar to the child’s pose commonly used in yoga. Once you’re seated, cross your legs and lean forward with your arms outstretched. Allow your practitioner to aid you as you lean into your stretch, lengthening and manipulating your back into a more spacious state.

2. Knee to elbow can also counter daily back damage. Lie on your back with your knee bent as your practitioner supports your leg, keeping it bent at an angle and next to their elbow. The practitioner then presses down on the hamstring. As Livestrong explains, tight hamstring muscles limit pelvic mobility, leading to lower back pain. If you stretch out those hamstrings, you’ll feel uplifting back results.

3. The angel twist pose can also loosen a tight back. Lie on your back as your massage practitioner moves your leg, bent at a 90 degree angle, over your body. You’ll feel a deep, relieving stretch.

Putting it All Together

Let your massage specialist work their magic with these poses and you’ll immediately start to feel better.

Continued visits will help you to eventually reverse the damage that years of bad positions have done, but it’s important to remain alert moment-to-moment when technology keeps you in rough positions so you can avoid further harm to your body. Both of these steps will alleviate your back pain, and in many cases, eliminate it altogether.