{"id":102625,"date":"2025-11-09T22:58:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-09T22:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=102625"},"modified":"2025-11-09T22:58:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-09T22:58:00","slug":"seated-salsa-the-miracle-movement-to-help-ease-back-pain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=102625","title":{"rendered":"Seated salsa \u2013 the miracle movement to help ease back pain"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Lower back pain is a chronic condition that affects hundreds of millions of people around the world. A simple exercise could be a big help.<\/p>\n

You know the feeling. You bend down to tie your shoelaces and experience a sharp, searing pain in the bottom of your back. Suddenly, you\u2019ve become part of a startling statistic \u2013 you\u2019ve joined the estimated\u00a0619 million people\u00a0worldwide living with lower back pain. Luckily, there is a handy exercise which can help, called seated salsa.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And the best thing? You don\u2019t even have to get up to do it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lower back pain is the\u00a0leading cause of disability\u00a0worldwide. It\u2019s defined as pain between the lower edge of the ribs and the buttocks. It can affect anyone, but is more common in people who are\u00a0overweight,\u00a0smoke, or who have a\u00a0family history\u00a0of the condition\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to work with spinal surgeons, and if you look at where people have most problems in the back, it\u2019s the bottom two discs in the vertebrae,\u201d says Chris McCarthy, an associate professor of physiotherapy at Manchester Metropolitan University.<\/p>\n

The backbone is made up of\u00a033 vertebrae, each of which is separated by a spongy layer of cartilage called a disc. The discs provide cushioning; they act as shock absorbers during everyday activities such as walking, running and jumping.<\/p>\n

The movement is similar to one salsa dancers perform, rolling one side of the pelvis forward as the other moves back (Credit: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The bottom two vertebrae, where most lower back pain is located, are attached to the pelvis with very thick ligaments. This holds them firmly in place, allowing them to do their job of supporting the weight of the torso. However, there is a downside.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a really stiff part of the back, and it\u2019s very difficult to get it to move, especially when the local muscles are in spasm due to pain, or tight due to lack of use,\u201d says McCarthy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One good way to exercise the muscles in the region is to rotate the pelvis from one side to the other, which makes the bottom of the back tilt from side to side in a kind of rocking motion. This happens naturally when you walk. However, when a person experiences lower back pain, the back muscles go into a spasm and immobilise the area, stopping it from moving.<\/p>\n

Studies show that, when it comes to back pain, moving is a vital part of the healing process<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, that creates a vicious cycle where it [the lower back] just gets stiffer and stiffer, and more and more painful,\u201d says McCarthy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Studies show that, when it comes to back pain, moving can be a vital part of the\u00a0healing process. Usually this can be achieved with exercises, stretches and manual therapy. But most stretches recommended for back pain don\u2019t exercise the bottom part of the back.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where seated salsa comes in. To perform the exercise, sit up straight with your feet firmly planted on the floor. Bring your legs together so that your thighs are running parallel with each other. Then, while keeping your shoulders absolutely still, push your right knee forwards while pulling your left knee back. Then switch so that your left knee goes forward and your right knee goes back. Your pelvis should roll forwards on one side and back on the other side, just like in a traditional salsa dance. Repeat this movement for one minute.<\/p>\n

Experts say one of the good things about the exercise is that it can be done sitting down (Credit: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cYour pelvis is doing this little sort of rocking motion, which is what it\u2019s supposed to do when you\u2019re walking,\u201d says McCarthy.<\/p>\n

McCarthy and colleagues at the\u00a0MMU Manchester Movement Unit, a physiotherapy unit, have conducted a yet-to-be-published pilot study, where they asked patients with lower back pain to perform the seated salsa while hooked up to electromyography (EMG) sensors. The sensors measure how tight the muscles are in the back. The results showed that just one minute of seated salsa every 30 minutes was enough to make their muscles relax, easing symptoms of back pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe nice thing about it is it\u2019s very easy to do whilst you\u2019re at work. You don\u2019t even have to get up from the desk,\u201d says McCarthy.<\/p>\n

The exercise could also be useful for older people who maybe can\u2019t stand up and sit down as easily<\/em><\/p>\n

Office workers often spend large portions of the day\u00a0sitting down, raising the risk of lower back pain. Standing up more and walking around \u2013 even if it\u2019s just to get a drink \u2013 can help\u00a0reduce this risk. However, sometimes getting up from a desk is not feasible.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf office workers are in the middle of something and they don\u2019t want to get up and stretch, rather than standing up, you could just every half an hour, have a little bit of seated salsa for a minute or so,\u201d says McCarthy.<\/p>\n

The exercise could also be useful for older people who maybe can\u2019t stand up and sit down as easily, or for people who have reduced mobility after an operation. Research shows that keeping mobile and exercising regularly is key to living\u00a0a long and healthy life.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that lots of older people are not very physically active,\u201d says Jugdeep Dhesi, a consultant geriatrician and president of the British Geriatrics Society.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you are not able to move properly, seated exercises are a good way of building up strength. But if you are, then there\u2019s so much stuff people could do. Whether it\u2019s standing on one leg while you\u2019re brushing your teeth, or doing just two or three squats holding the back of the chair while the kettle is boiling \u2013 it\u2019s all about building this into a habit that just becomes a norm that you will always do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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