3 tips on breathing for a better back

Written by Chiropractor Chris Wood

You've probably heard somewhere before that breath work can help your body in a number of ways, such as relaxation of the muscles or to help engage your core. But did you know, that from as early as 10 weeks of age, we embark on a respiratory strategy that helps us stabilise our spines during movement, and many of us have forgotten how to use it.

Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilisation (DNS), involves using our diaphragm (a breathing muscle) to push downwards towards our pelvic floor (a stabilising muscle) to create intra-abdominal pressure (IAP for short). It all sounds so technical! But a simple analogy would be a bicycle wheel - fill it with air and create pressure, and it becomes very stable. IAP has the same effect on your spine and pelvis.

DNS 3 month supine position, using a pilates ball for help with limb positioning.

3 tips for getting started with IAP:

1. Rest on your back, feet supported on a chair with hips at 90 degrees, and a small cushion to support your head (you want your neck and chest relaxed).

2. Position your hands across your belt line just below your stomach, and press lightly down with your finger tips.

3. Without pushing, try to breathe into your stomach so that you can feel your lower stomach pushing your finger tips away.

Finally, less is more - this is a movement pattern and it usually takes time to 'override' and replace the one you're using currently. Try to relax into it and don't be tempted to 'muscle it out'. This is one of my favourite exercises and it canoe extremely helpful for people with low back pain, and with practice it can e developed for sports performance and improving posture too.