Hip-flexor stretches can boost health

A study published in the Archives of Gerontology highlights the importance of hip flexors in preventing a decline in your overall health. Researchers followed 433 seniors for a year and found that those who became less mobile — a ticket to heart woes, cognitive decline and diabetes — had far less flexor-bility. So, we suggest you do these hip-flexor stretches daily, but never to the point of pain.

Standing stretch: Stand with feet hip-width apart, toes forward. Bend your right knee and bring your right heel up toward your butt. Hold your right foot with your right hand, and gently pull up so your knee is pointing toward the floor. Hold for 30 seconds; repeat on other side.

Floor stretch: Lying on your back with legs straight and toes pointing to the ceiling bend your left leg, with your foot on the floor and knee pointing upward. Put your hands behind your knee and pull it slowly toward your chest — keep your body, hips and right leg on the floor. Hold for 30 seconds. Switch legs.

Finding relief for nonspecific back pain

Harrison Ford, Usain Bolt and Peyton Manning have all had to deal with back pain. And they’re just some of the 31 million Americans who, on any given day, contend with that agony.

What causes all this discomfort? Sometimes it’s a slipped disc, muscle spasm or congenital spine problem like scoliosis. Other times, however, the source of pain is harder to diagnose, and conventional medical treatments don’t provide relief.

A study in the journal PAIN suggests that in such cases, stress and emotional/ psychological factors may be the cause. So, say the researchers, stress/repressed emotions can trigger physiological changes (in your nervous system and muscles) that cause nonspecific back pain.

To treat such cases, the researchers used a 12week, psychophysiologic symptom relief therapy (PSRT) program. It educates patients about the links between stressors, emotions and pain, and helps reverse ingrained associations of certain activities (bending, sitting) with pain. In addition, it teaches a mindfulness-based stress-reduction technique.

PSRT, developed at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, isn’t yet available to the public. However, if you can’t find a solution to your lower back pain, ask your doctor about pain-related psychological therapy, and check out “Mindfulness: 17 Simple Ways to Ease Stress” at health.clevelandclinic.org.