So many people experience back pain while walking. Odds are good you’re one of them. You’re in good company. It often happens to me too! I’ve been tracking down the culprit and a couple days ago I made a discovery. I was doing a somatic exercise, one I’ve done many times, and noticed something new. I was using my upper back to control my right hip.
My Back Pain Discovery
In the somatic exercise I was doing, called hip slides, you alternate pulling one hip toward your armpit and then the other. In the case of all somatic exercises you perform the movement very slowly and with attention. As I was moving my right hip toward my armpit I could feel my back doing most of the work. I only noticed this because my back was sore from a workout the day before. I had never noticed the back working so much before, despite doing this movement many times before.
Today I want to explain how posture can alter the way your core works and I’ll walk you through this exercise very quickly so you can get an idea of whether or not you’re using you back to work your hips. Don’t feel discouraged if this challenges you. I’ve been doing somatic exercises for something like 2 years and I still find new things out about my movement patterns all the time.
I hope this info helps you live a better more mobile and pain-free life!
