Keeping your mid back moving safely when pain is recent
Nicola Tik
When mid back pain is still new, it can be hard to know how much to move and what is safe to do. The instinct to stay still makes sense, but gentle movement is usually one of the most helpful things you can do in the early days. This article walks you through how to keep things moving in a way that feels manageable and supports recovery.
The mid back responds well to gentle, regular movement. When the muscles and joints around this area stay still for long periods, they can stiffen further, which often makes pain feel more intense when you do move. Gradual movement helps keep the area from becoming more rigid and sends signals to the nervous system that the area is safe to use.
This does not mean pushing through pain or doing anything that makes things noticeably worse. The aim is to find movement within a comfortable range and build from there, gradually, over the coming days.
The most useful movements at this stage are slow and controlled, with a small range. You are not trying to stretch fully or build strength right now. You are just keeping things gently mobile.
A good place to start is a seated chest opening. Sit upright in a chair with your feet flat on the floor. Bring both hands behind your head, letting your elbows point out to the sides. Slowly let your elbows open gently backwards so your chest lifts slightly, then bring them back together. Repeat five to eight times, keeping the movement slow and within whatever range feels comfortable.
Another option is a gentle seated rotation. Still sitting upright, place your hands on your thighs. Slowly turn your upper body to the right, just a small amount, then come back to centre and repeat to the left. Keep your hips facing forward. Four to five turns on each side is enough.
If you would like a guided stretch, VIDA has a short video you can follow at your own pace.
As the first few days pass and things begin to settle, you can gradually increase how far you move and how often. A useful marker is whether your pain levels during and after movement are similar to, or slightly lower than, when you started. If they are consistently higher after moving, it is worth scaling back a little and building up more slowly.
Walking is one of the most useful activities you can introduce early. Even five to ten minutes at a comfortable pace, once or twice a day, can help the mid back begin to loosen up. Over the course of a week, you can extend this gradually as things improve.
At this stage, movements that involve twisting quickly or lifting anything heavy are worth avoiding until things have settled a little. This is not because they will cause serious harm, but because the muscles around the mid back are still sensitised, and loading them too quickly can set things back a few days.
Carrying bags on one side for long periods, spending hours in one position, or staying in any one position for more than 45 minutes to an hour can also keep the area feeling stiff. Breaking up your day with short movement intervals, even just standing up and shifting your weight for a minute, tends to help.
Keeping track of how your pain shifts from day to day is a useful way to see whether things are heading in the right direction. Your VIDA pain check-in is a good way to track how things are changing over time.