Take a Back Health Break: Quick Back Exercises for Home

Back pain is a leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting about 570 million people globally (Canadian Medical Association Journal, 2024). If you’re one of them, then you know how debilitating it can be.

For many people, back pain is often triggered or exacerbated by work-related tasks like sitting at a desk, standing behind a counter, or lifting and bending in a warehouse. In other words, back pain is an equal opportunity offender.

Pro tip: proper ergonomics can help with this.

By taking a short, back-health exercise break during the workday, you can actually prevent, reduce, and even relieve work-related back pain. Taking breaks throughout the workday has also been shown to improve overall physical and mental health.

To get you started, we’ve put together some quick and easy exercises you can perform from literally anywhere, that will keep you productive and pain-free, no matter what your workday looks like.

Kaia pro tips: For poses (like Plank), we recommend that you hold each for 30 seconds. For regular exercises, we recommend doing 12 to 15 repetitions each. Want to get more from your workout? It’s easy. Just increase the number of rounds for each exercise.

Kaia Basic Exercises

Pelvic Lift

This exercise is great for your hip flexors, which can shorten after sitting for long periods. It’s also good for working your back muscles and glutes, as well as keeping your blood circulating. It’s one of the best exercises for lower back pain for office workers.

Side Lunge

This exercise works your trunk muscles. It also helps to melt tension in the hips and back, serving as one of the effective ergonomic exercises for workers.

Lying “T” Arm Lift

This exercise activates the shoulder blade muscles, which can get weak when you sit too much. It’s also great for releasing overall tension, a practical physical therapy for back pain.

Kaia Advanced Exercises

Pelvic Lift With Steeple Arms

This exercise works the hip flexors, glutes, and back muscles, all of which tend to be passive when we sit. It also helps to rev up your blood circulation, acting as a preventive measure for occupational back pain solutions.

Lying Arm Stretch

This exercise works the shoulder blade muscles, which can get slack if we sit for too long. You’ll also notice that it helps you to release built-up physical tension, an essential back strengthening exercise.

Plank

This exercise is very useful because it works nearly every muscle in your body! Plus, it trains your deep trunk muscles, which help hold your body up throughout the day, offering a comprehensive approach to how to alleviate back pain from standing jobs.

Give it a try!

Whether you’re squeezing in a pelvic lift between meetings or perfecting your plank after hours, incorporating these easy exercises into your daily routine will help you achieve a stronger, pain-free back. Even just ten minutes a day can make a huge difference. After all, your back supports you in more ways than one – it’s time to return the favor.

Ready to up the ante? Here are more exercises you can do to relieve low back pain today!

To learn how Kaia Health helps people just like you prevent, manage, and relieve back pain, visit kaiahealth.com