Morning Exercises

Morning Exercises

 

 

A study in 1998 advised that people should avoid full lumbar (low back) flexion activities in the morning in order to minimize back symptoms.  The reason?  At night when you lay in bed, gravity and body weight are no longer compressive forces on your spine/discs.  The discs "refill" and expand with fluid that was "pushed out" throughout the day due to the compressive forces.  The increased fluid in the disc lengthens the spine and causes it to become resistant to flexion.  Ligament and disc-bending stresses are thought to increase 80% and 300% respectively in the morning when compared to the evening.  During the day when you are up and active, pressures placed on the spinal discs push fluid out of the disc.  This narrows the space between each vertebrae which reduces tension on the ligaments.  Approximately 54% of this decrease in disc height occurs 30 minutes after you get out of bed in the morning.  Less disc height means less tissue stresses.  Therefore, it is advised that you wait at least 30 minutes after getting out of bed to safely bend forward and perform your daily activities or exercises.