When it comes to sleeping posture, there’s two primary ways people sleep, either on their back, or on their side.
With that being said, I’m going to show you proper ways to sleep on your back to reduce lower back pain.
Sleeping on your back to reduce lower back pain
First, if you’re on your back, having your knees raised or elevated is a more comfortable way to sleep. It takes pressure off of the lower spine by counter rotating the pelvis.
So, if your legs are straight, the pelvis then rotates in this vicinity, or this direction, and it creates more pressure on the lower back.
You can use a pillow underneath your knees, if this elevation is enough. However, if you have severe back pain, or significant lower back pain, or even chronic lower back pain, then you would want to raise your legs higher, and have a higher pillow, or a higher knee bolster.
As the pelvis rotates in a higher position, it takes pressure off of the lower back.
Sleeping on your side to reduce lower back pain
A lot of people sleep on their side and in different positions. The first thing you want to notice is the angle of the legs: the knees are touching and the ankles are touching.
Often times we hear that patients will put a pillow in between their knees to alleviate some of the pressure off the lower back, but in this angle here, you still see that the ankles still touch.
The proper way to sleep on your side with a pillow between your knees is actually between your knees and ankles, so that your legs are parallel.
In this position you don’t have your knees converting, or the legs converting together to alleviate pressure off the lower spine.
BONUS! Proper way to get out of bed to reduce lower back pain
Now, whether you sleep on your side or sleep on you back, when you’re getting out of bed, the proper way to get out of bed to reduce the stress or strain on your lower back is to roll to your side, drop your feet and legs off the table, and then sit yourself up sideways.
That’s the proper way to get out of bed. I hope this has been helpful.
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