A little more flexibility will stop that popping in your lower back.
Whenever an older person appeared in one of my childhood cartoons, they always seemed to be complaining about their “lumbago.” For the longest time, I had no idea what a lumbago was. They never told us in health class, and my grandparents never mentioned it. So what the heck is a lumbago? Well, as I learned recently, “lumbago” is actually a catch-all term for lower back pain. It’s not a thing, it’s a condition. No idea what the etymology of it is, but we’ll ponder that later.
Lower back pain is certainly a scourge of the elderly, but it is by no means an exclusive one. As people young and old spend more time seated at computers, lower back pain has become a much more commonplace ailment. Sitting in a static pose all day makes your back muscles tense up, and then it becomes harder to stand, lift stuff, and even just walk around. If your lower back is feeling stiff, try some simple stretches to loosen up.
You don’t have to be a yoga master to make this happen; even some simple moves you learned in school will work fine. For example, take a seat on the ground, stretch out, and try to grab your toes. The ol’ seated toe-touch. As you get better at stretching forward, your muscles become less likely to lock up.
The pelvic tilt is another attractive option. Just lay on the floor, pull in your belly button, and push your pelvis upward and forward. This stretch increases blood flow to your lower back, stimulating and healing the muscles.
The bottom line is that you need to do some stretching that you don’t do in your daily life. Flex that lower back when you’re young, and with any luck, you won’t have anything to say about lumbagos when you’re older.
