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exercises For Lower Back Pain at Home
Body Part:
Lower Back
Equipment:
None
Level:
Beginner
You spent an afternoon helping someone move house. Boxing, bending, lifting, and lugging. Now you can’t turn to the side because you’ve sprained a muscle in your lower back. Getting up from a chair seems to take more effort than climbing a mountain, and you wonder if you’ll ever be able to move like you used to. If your first thoughts are, “Guess I’ll stay in bed and take some painkillers,” it’s time to change your thinking.
Although you may not feel like exercising, the right kind of physical activity is exactly what your back needs. Staying active can decrease the intensity of your pain and help you recover faster than on bed rest. (Which may make your pain worse.) And those painkillers? The long-term results of using medication for lower back pain are mixed.1)
Lower back pain is reason #2 for missing work 2) and one of the most common causes of people seeking medical attention. We’ve developed two stretching exercises that target the lower back muscles and fascia: a quick 2-minute stretch and a program that takes about 6 minutes. You can do the routines together or separately. These exercises can help you relieve pain and regain your range of motion and flexibility. Jump to our routines to start exercising, or keep reading to learn more about your lower back and lower back pain.
Causes of Lower Back Pain
The lower back — a.k.a the lumbar region — carries most of our upper body weight and helps us twist and bend. If you could see inside, you’d find the five largest vertebrae of your spine. In between each vertebra are circular, rubbery pads called intervertebral discs. These discs protect our spine when we move and absorb shock. You’d also see the tendons that attach the muscles to your spinal column, ligaments that stabilize the vertebrae, and nerves.
Because our lower back is so complex, it is vulnerable to injury. The following injuries and conditions are common causes of lower back pain:
- Straining a muscle or tendon, or spraining or tearing a ligament. These injuries can happen if you lift heavy objects incorrectly.
- Arthritis.
- Bone fractures.
- A slipped disc, bulging disc, or torn disc.
- Spinal stenosis. This is a condition that occurs when the space in your spinal canal narrows, and the nerves are pinched or become irritated.
- Spondylolisthesis. This is a condition that occurs when one of your vertebrae slides forward and moves onto the vertebra below it.
Symptoms of Lower Back Pain
- Mild discomfort to severe pain in your lumbar region. The pain may be dull, sharp, or an ache. It may radiate to your buttocks or down the back of your leg.
- Pain that keeps you from sleeping.
- Muscle spasms.
- You find it difficult to straighten your back.
- Standing after sitting takes more time and effort.
- You find it difficult to walk.
Exercise 1: Spinal Press
- Lie on your back and bend your legs at a 90° angle.
- Press your chin into your chest and press the back of your neck (cervical spine) against the floor.
- Pull your abdominal muscles in to press your lower back against the floor. At this point, you should be pressing your entire spine against the floor.
- Very slowly straighten your legs.
- Hold the position for about 1 minute.
- Finish and slowly roll onto your stomach. This is the starting position for the next exercise.
Exercise 2: Back Extension
- Prop yourself up on your forearms and slowly lift your upper body into a back extension.
- You’ll feel pressure on your lower back; this is normal. If this position hurts your lower back, slide your forearms forward.
- Keep your shoulders down.
- Hold for 1.5 minutes.
- When you feel the pressure release, straighten your arms, so you’re propping yourself up with your hands.
- On each exhale, relax your lower back. Continue for 1 minute.
- Slowly come out of the position and finish.
Exercise 3: Forward Bend
- Sit on the floor and bring the soles of your feet together. Let your right knee and left knee fall to the sides.
- Grab your feet with both hands, round your upper back, pull your stomach in, and let your head hang.
- Let gravity pull your upper body towards the floor. Only go as far forward as feels comfortable.
- On each exhale, intensify the stretch by pulling yourself closer to your feet.
- Hold for 1.5 minutes.
- Slowly sit up and finish.
Perform our lower back pain exercises 6 days a week and leave 1 day for rest. When your pain subsides and your range of motion and flexibility return, you can adjust how often you exercise.
Visit Our Shop.
Have you watched one of our videos and thought, “Roland is using a cool tool! Where can I buy one?” You can find all the pain-relieving tools Roland uses in his videos in our online shop. Check it out.
Take me to the shopSources & Studies
- ↑1 Hooten, W. M., & Cohen, S. P. (2015). Evaluation and Treatment of Low Back Pain: A Clinically Focused Review for Primary Care Specialists. Mayo Clinic proceedings, 90(12), 1699–1718. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2015.10.009.
- ↑2 Joaquim A. F. (2016). Initial approach to patients with acute lower back pain. Revista da Associacao Medica Brasileira (1992), 62(2), 186–191. https://doi.org/10.1590/1806-9282.62.02.188.
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