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Must have: if you sit for extended periods of time

November 10, 2024

I have struggled with back pain almost my entire life. It started with a car accident where we hydroplaned and flipped down a hill 1.5 times in my friend's truck. They said it was a miracle that nobody died or was seriously injured, but I walked away with a lifetime of back pain 😩. Since then, I have seen chiropractors, massage therapists, and physical therapists on and off for relief.

Lately I have noticed that every time I see my chiropractor, one of the first things he does is release my psoas muscle and I almost immediately feel better without him having to do much else (for reference, I never get manual manipulations aka "cracking" but I do get my Atlas adjusted if it needs to be). I started reading about the psoas muscle and realized that it is vital to back health (and really so many other things).

You may have a tight psoas if you sit for long periods of time, have bad posture, or have weak pelvic floor muscles. Besides back pain, a tight or weak psoas can cause so many issues like pain in your hips, pelvis, knees, and glutes.

I have begrudgingly taken up Pilates again because it's known for improving psoas muscle health. And instead of seeing my chiropractor very often, I learned how to release the psoas muscle myself using a hip hook daily. (My chiropractor told me to have my husband or one of my kids try to release my psoas and that was a disaster 🥴, so he suggested a hip hook) Having this device has been a game changer for me -- I have been using it for months and because I can relieve my own pain, I have doubled the amount of time between my usual chiropractor visits.

I love The Mark hip hook because:

it's easy to use (lots of videos if you need help)
it provides instant relief for me (more relief the more I use it)
it's portable and I can bring it wherever I go (easy to pack when traveling, too)
it's sturdier than the other hip hook on the market, which may not survive all of my travels

You can get 10% off using my code JESSICAREY here.

Red light also helps to relieve my back pain, especially after sitting for long periods of time on an airplane or in a car.

Red light (and near infrared light) has so many benefits. This is how I use it:

Joint pain relief: 10 minutes, 6-7 yimes/week (near-infrared light)

Muscle recovery: 10 minutes, 3/5 times/week (red + near-infrared light)

This is not medical advice, so please consult with your healthcare professional and do your own research before using light therapy. It has helped me (and my wallet from not having to pay for chiropractor visits) immensely.

Here's a link to the red light I use.

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