3 Common Core Exercises Your Lower Back Is Better Without

Almost everyone has been told to sit up straight, stop slouching, or quit looking down at their phone. The moment someone mentions it, we snap into what we imagine is good posture: head up, shoulders back, stomach tight. A few minutes later we drift right back. It turns out that much of what we believe…

You have probably heard the phrase sitting is the new smoking. It is a catchy way to describe a real concern: most of us spend the majority of our waking hours in a chair, and a large body of research links prolonged sitting with worse health outcomes. The phrase overstates the comparison, since the health…

Pain is one of the most universal human experiences, yet it is widely misunderstood. We tend to assume pain is a simple, direct readout of tissue damage: more damage means more pain. The reality, backed by decades of research, is far more interesting and far more hopeful. Pain Is Not a Direct Measure of Damage…

Sitting feels like a way to rest, but if you already have back pain, long periods of sitting can make it worse rather than better. For certain spine conditions, the seated position increases stress on the structures of the lower back, which is why so many people notice their pain flares after a long stretch…

Core exercises inevitably come up when someone struggles with back pain or wants to strengthen their spine. Back injuries are among the most common orthopedic injuries, happening often in gyms and workplaces – and unfortunately, when people hurt their backs, they frequently turn to movements, stretches or core exercises that do more harm than good….

For many people who sit for much of the day, the lower back spends hours in a flexed, rounded position. Gentle back extension work helps counter that and is a cornerstone of several well-established approaches to managing back pain. Why Extension Helps Restoring comfortable extension can relieve the stiffness that builds up from prolonged sitting…