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3 Ways How Valsalva Maneuver Helps Reduce Low Back Pain

3 Ways How Valsalva Maneuver Helps Reduce Low Back Pain

A common problem among the adults of today is back pain, and mostly the reason for this is sitting and working for long hours in their office. 7 out of 10 office goers have a problem to bend down. Another common problem in these people is seen when they stand after sitting for a long time. Well, that’s a real struggle! Their situations worsen when they try to lift something heavy. Sounds painful? Let’s shed light on the general reasons for back pain.

What Causes Back Pain?

  • Muscle stress
  • Poor posture of sleeping, sitting, driving, working on a computer
  • Accident or injury due to fall
  • Excessive weight lifting exercise or excessive stretch
  • Slip disk
  • Arthritis
  • Lumps
  • Spine cancer

Apart from these, there can be several causes like kidney problems, infections, nerve issues, working in a laptop with bent neck, and so on.

General Tendency During Our Back Pain

As we generally do for other illnesses, neglecting is the first thing we do at the time of back pain.

So relatable, right?

It is the primary reason behind our acute back pain for the long run. We ignore the primary signs of back pain and realize it when it is too late to cure.

Another common tendency is to intake painkillers or pain relief spray/ointment. But, during that, we forgot to realize that these pain killers or pain relievers can give us temporary relief. Because, we are so reluctant to go to a doctor, and we conduct online research to cure back pain. And after trying all these methods, when we realize that our pain is not at all getting reduced, but it is getting more and more unbearable, we consult a doctor.

We start doing exercises as per the guidance of the doctor, and once we start getting better, we stop that. Even, we stop the medicines too.

Valsalva Maneuver In Low Back Pain Recovery

Valsalva maneuver is a tricky technique that can help you to reduce your back pain, and one more thing is –  regular practice of the Valsalva Maneuver can help you to stop your back pain from coming back. Some skills of breathing are all you need to master for this.

Not just that, Valsalva Maneuver has several benefits. Indeed, you can keep your back stronger and improve your overall health. It will help you in digestion as well. But, you need to have enough patience to practise it regularly so that you can have its benefit. We generally want the instant result, but Valsalva Maneuver will not give you that. But once you make Valsalva Maneuver your habit, you will fall in love with this.

When you search for Valsalva Maneuver over the internet, you will get fragmented results. You can consult the best gym in Kolkata to learn this. You can take a look below for the must-knows of the Valsalva Maneuver and do it like a pro!

Remember: A small mistake in the techniques may cause you lethal health issues.

1. Is Your Spine Safe?

Go through a soda test to know the condition of your spine. A can of soda is stronger and take enough weight on it only if the pressure is within it. As soon as you let the pressure come out, the can of soda becomes weak and breakable. This same rule is applicable to the human body.

We generally skip the squats, weight lifting exercises as we have back pain, but, you must now that the exercises are not the reason behind back pain. Incorrect breathing technique during the exercise is the reason.

To keep our spine safe, we must make sure that the stress of the exercises is not on our spine. Proper inhale is mandatory for this purpose because it creates the intra-abdominal pressure, which allows enough force within your oblique, pelvic floors, diaphragm, and rectus abdominus created. It becomes stronger like that filled soda can – firm and strong. Unless you breathe correctly, this force will be missing, and there will be a possibility to hurt your back.

2. Is Your Breathing Technique Correct?

The effectiveness of Valsalva Maneuver depends on the way you breathe. Your diaphragm has an upper cavity and lower cavity. During inhalation, the diaphragm pushes downwards to put more air in the lungs.

Bad posture during breath can prevent this. A good inhale means your belly will move outward. If you use shoulders or neck for breathing, you may get inaccurate results. It’s because you don’t get much oxygen, so, you may need to inhale more. During Valsalva Maneuver, vertical breathing will not create intra-abdominal pressure. It is advised to take help of a mirror at the time of breathing.

3. What Are The Ways Of Breathing Better?

Better breathing indicates breathing while keeping the shoulders down. You can try the following techniques too for this purpose.

Diaphragm Extension – It is a simple technique of breath by lying on your back. It will prevent you from raising your shoulders.  You can put a light object on your belly button to see it going down during exhale and coming up during inhale. Pace will gradually slow down here, and you will feel the calmness. Before sleeping or after a workout, this technique is really good.

90-90 Technique – It will be equally effective for breathing.  90° bend in hips and same angle in knees at the time of breathing is considered as a nice posture for breathing. For this one, you need to lie on the floor and place your heels on the Swiss ball to make a right angle. It will fill your abdomen in all the directions to create proper intra-abdominal pressure.

Dead Bug Style – For this, just lie on your back and keep 90° angle in your hips and knees. Raise your arms towards the ceiling to feel the pressure during breath.  During inhale, pull your knee parallel to the floor making a right angle and during exhale stretch your legs. It will remove the stiffness of your abdominal muscles.

Easy Valsalva

With these techniques, Valsalva is now easier because you will need to fill in your abdomen during each breath. Brace your abs, oblique as strongly as possible during each inhales and release during exhale and repeat the cycle. That’s all.

Rule Your Back Before It Rules You But Know The Risks

Have a control over your long-lasting back pain with Valsalva Maneuver. There is a risk of high BP by doing this. Please consult an expert before doing Valsalva Maneuver. If you have hypertension, know the consequences first. In specific cases, it may result in stroke too, though the chances are rare. So, know whether your body is capable of doing Valsalva Maneuver or not. because there are many alternative ways to reduce back pain too that you can try.