So yesterday I felt like garbage. Woke up with that dull ache right down my spine after a long day hunched over my laptop ordering groceries online. Thought, “This back pain’s gotta stop.” Started poking around online, searching things like “what causes mid-back pain?” and landed on this word “dorsales”. Fancy term, right? Basically just means those muscles running alongside your spine in the upper and middle back – the ones screaming at you when you sit too long. Looked weak, felt weak. Needed fixing.
The Hunt for Easy Fixes
Saw tons of articles promising miracles. Complex routines with weird equipment. Honestly, rolled my eyes. Ain’t nobody got time for that! Needed something stupid simple, stuff I could do in my living room without breaking the bank or my back further. Settled on this idea of “5 easy exercises” for the dorsales. Sounded too good? Maybe. But was desperate enough to try.
Getting Down to It
Cleared a spot on the rug near the sofa. No yoga mat handy, just carpet. Figured I’d just dive in.
- First up was ‘Scapular Squeezes’. Seriously? Just sitting or standing, pulling my shoulder blades together like I’m trying to pinch a pencil between them? Felt kinda silly at first. Did 3 sets of squeezing as hard as I could hold for 10 seconds each. Felt… something working back there?
- Next was ‘Banded Rows’. Dug out an old resistance band from my closet, the kind used for arm stuff. Looped it around a sturdy chair leg. Sat down cross-legged, grabbed both ends, pulled straight back towards my belly button, squeezing those shoulder blades again. 3 sets of 10 pulls. Definitely felt this one in the muscles right along my spine, not just the shoulders. Mild burn.
- Then came ‘Face Pulls’ with the same band. Sounds weird. Attached the band higher (used the door handle this time). Stepped back, grabbed the band with arms straight out, pulled it towards my face, hands splitting outwards like opening a curtain. Elbows flaring back hard. 3 sets of 12. This felt surprisingly different, like it was waking up parts between my shoulder blades I forgot existed.
- Fourth was ‘Prone Y Raises’. Got face down on the carpet, forehead resting on a folded towel. Stretched my arms overhead making a Y shape, thumbs pointing up. Slowly lifted my arms off the floor, focusing purely on pulling with the upper/mid back muscles. Held for a sec, lowered. Surprisingly tough! Did 3 sets of 10. Felt the effort concentrate right where I needed it.
- Last one, the ‘Bird-Dog’. Got on my hands and knees, like a tabletop position. Slowly stretched my right arm straight out in front while simultaneously stretching my left leg straight out behind. Tried hard not to wobble, kept my back level. Held for a couple seconds, back down, swapped sides. This wasn’t a huge burn, but felt like it was really coordinating the whole posterior chain, including those dorsales stabilizing my spine. Did 2 sets of 10 per side.
Did It Actually Work?
Took me maybe 15 minutes tops, all together. Was it easy? Physically, mostly – the movements were simple enough. Making myself actually feel and squeeze those specific muscles took some serious focus though. Like, really had to think “engaging dorsales NOW”. My lower traps and rhomboids were talking to me afterwards, a good kind of tired ache.
Slept okay. Woke up this morning… and honestly? The stiffness was less. Noticeably less. Still some tightness, sure, but that deep ache right down the spine was dialed back. Felt more supported sitting at the desk today. Not magically cured by any stretch, but enough proof to believe this “5 easy exercises” thing isn’t total junk. Gonna stick with it daily, see if I can finally tell my dodgy dorsales to shut up for good. Simple works. Sometimes.