I am sure that we have all, at some point, experienced the discomfort associated with a tight back. You may have developed some hesitation to perform certain movements or tasks for fear that it will further aggravate it, leaving us with limited mobility and excess pain.

Muscles can be tight for several reasons, but today we’re focusing on a common compensation. Muscle tension is the root of all human body movement. Muscle tension produces movement as well as provide stability for movement to occur safely. When we talk about the back, if there is a lack of stabilizing tension being produced by the core and hips, the large back muscles may be the one actively stabilizing your spine and torso.

To ensure our core and hips are putting in their fair share of the work, we can perform strengthening exercises. These exercises, when incorporated into our regular routine, can ensure the workload stabilizing the torso and spine is fairly distributed between the hips, core, and back.

Strengthening Exercises