A Simple Spinal Mobility Routine

This is a simple spinal mobility routine that is effective for warming up all of the tissues in and around your spine. I would suggest following this or a similar routine before doing any other type of exercise to reduce risk of sprains and strains throughout the back.

As we sleep, our intervertebral discs increase in size as they are hydrated through steady blood flow and rest. Being larger in size first thing in the morning, our discs take up more space in and around our spinal column, which increases potential for irritation, inflammation, and pain with movements and positions that bring our spinal cord and peripheral nerves closer to our discs and other intervertebral ligaments.

As we move about during the day, our discs gradually decrease in size as they lose some water content, which leaves more space in and around our vertebrae. This is why I generally suggest avoiding rigorous physical activity first thing in the morning.

If you must be active early in the morning, it's vital that you take your body through a thorough warmup, which, ideally, includes a routine for spinal mobility.

If you have any questions about this or any other mobility-related issues, please feel free to leave a comment below or send me a message at benkim@drbenkim.com.

For an overview of exercise progressions that you can work at to improve your mobility and balance in a systematic way, please feel free to visit our Mobility Exercise Progressions page here:

Mobility Exercise Progressions

For some suggestions on how to set up a simple workout area at home, please feel free to view:

Suggested Resources for a Home Gym