If time was on my side, I'd start every day with a restorative hour-long vinyasa yoga class to alleviate tight muscles and maintain mobility.
But in lieu of that luxury, I've started using a series of quick stretches every morning when I roll out of bed—in an attempt to release tension that's been building up in my lower back.
The stretches are from a protocol known as the McKenzie Method of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy or MDT, pioneered by Kiwi physiotherapist Robin McKenzie over 40 years ago.
First put on my radar by US chiropractor Dr Haley Ray, the McKenzie Method involves seven exercises designed to gently encourage extension and flexion of the spine.
“These exercises target the extensor muscles of the lower back, which can help reduce pain, promote healing and reduce the risk of future injury,” Ray told me for Fit&Well.
The full routine involves seven exercises that should be performed in sequence depending on your level of pain and stiffness, but I've found joy from focusing on four of the moves in particular, practicing them first thing in the morning or last thing at night.
How to do the exercises
The exercises involve first lying on my front (prone position) and propping myself up onto my elbows in a move similar to the cobra pose in yoga, then rising up onto my hands to increase the backbend while keeping my hips grounded.
Next, I'll roll over onto my back and hug my knees into my chest to flex my lower back and counteract the extension movements. Lastly, I'll stand tall and perform 5-10 slow forward folds, increasing my range with each rep.
The key for each exercise, and especially the prone extension moves, is to allow my lower back, glutes and legs to completely relax.
I've been carrying so much tension in my lower back—likely due to aggravating the muscles earlier this year—that as a defence mechanism my body has tightened up the area to protect the spine.
Known as muscle guarding, this protective response occurs when the muscles tense up to limit movement around an injury, but prolonged guarding can cause longer-term weakness and pain.
If you're nursing a tight lower back, I'd recommend you first consult your doctor or physician. But if they give you the all clear to stretch and mobilize your lower back, this McKenzie Method routine could help melt away some of that discomfort.
How I felt after doing the stretches
When I first started these McKenzie Method stretches, and allowed my lower back to truly relax, it felt like cool water was radiating across an area that had been hot and inflamed.
A week on, I'm still very much a work in progress.
Tightness can occasionally build up across the day but I'm willing to persevere with these mobility exercises while I work to strengthen my posterior chain and core to hopefully reduce the risk of future damage.
