Nix Back Pain For Good

Meet the four most common culprits causing your aches and pains and the exercise moves that will help.

- Michelle October

Your spine is the supporting column around which your body is built. So when it’s causing you grief, you can bet you’re going to know about it. Problem is, there are so many muscles that support and move your spine that often you won’t actually know what’s causing that discomfort. These four repeat offenders are a good place to start.

YOUR INSTA ADDICTION

Got a weird crick in the back of your neck and shoulder? Chances are, it’s the trapezius, or traps, which starts in your neck and reaches down into the back of your shoulder. Whether you’re permanently locked into the downward-peering position of the typical cellphone user or sitting unpretty at your desk, these are the muscles being overworked. “For every inch [2.5 centimetres] that your head is slouched in a forward position, you are adding four kilograms of weight to your head,” says chiropractor Dr Paul Palmer. Essentially, those muscles are taking strain all day, every day, while other smaller and also important muscles are neglected. “Playing tug of war with gravity is a rough job because gravity never runs out of energy, but the muscles do,” he says. Ouch.

Your move: Give those muscles a break every few hours and release tension by gently bending your neck forwards until your chin touches your chest and by doing a neck extensor exercise (see Put Your Back Into It below).

YOUR DESK