10/4/2020 11 Exercises for Lower Back Pain Relief

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11 Exercises for Lower Back Pain

Relief
Reviewed By Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD on 1/18/2019  Privacy & Trust Info

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How Can I Relieve My Lower Back Pain?

You feel it each time you bend over or stand up. It's that groan-inspiring
ache that shoots through your lower back and never seems to fully go
away. Sometimes called lumbago or spondylosis, lower back pain is one
of the most common forms of chronic pain among adults.

Maybe you've been resting, hoping the back pain just needs time to heal.
But most doctors now encourage lower back pain su erers to get active
and move their backs and related muscles as a better pain relief
treatment.

Movement can help relieve back pain, but only the right kind; avoid
workouts that put too much stress and strain on the back. So which
exercises should you choose? That partly depends on how intense your
pain is, and what causes it. So, you should always get the
recommendation of your doctor before doing any heavy exertion for lower
back pain.

The following slides present several simple exercises that can help relieve
lower back pain, and also highlight a few activities to avoid. With your
doctor's approval, adding these movements to your workout routine can
free you from your nagging, daily pain, leading to better overall health.

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Skip the Toe Touches

Fitness is often a great treatment for back pain, but some movements
o er you little health bene t. Toe touches from a standing position can
aggravate sciatica and other conditions by overstressing ligaments and
spinal disks. Another cause for concern is the way standing toe touches
can overstretch hamstrings and muscles in your lower back.

How Much Pain Is Too Much?

Some mild discomfort and pain can be expected anytime you start a new
workout. As you work your way back to better health and your muscles
strengthen, that pain and discomfort should disappear. But when a tness
routine causes moderate or severe pain symptoms that lasts longer than
15 minutes, you should end the exercise and check in with your doctor.

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Pain Relief: Try Partial Crunches

One of the classic core-strengthening workouts is the partial stomach
crunch. Partial crunches build strength in both your lower back and
related stomach muscles, making this an ideal exercise for people with
spondylosis.

Here's how to get the most out of partial crunches:

Lie back, and keep your feet at on the oor with your knees bent.
With your hands behind your head or with arms crossed around your chest,
raise your shoulders from the oor. Make sure to keep your stomach muscles
tight.
Breath out while raising your shoulders. Avoid leading with your elbows (or
yanking your neck o the oor with your arms).
Hold for one second. Next, lower yourself back down to the oor in a
controlled manner.
Repeat with between eight and 12 repetitions. Remember to follow proper
form, which prevents excessive spine stress. Keep your feet, tailbone, and
lower back against the oor throughout the exercise.

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Skip the Sit-Ups

Sit-ups are a tness standard, but they're not as good at strengthening
your core as you may think.

Although most people see sit-ups as a stomach-strengthening activity, in

reality people often use their hip muscles more than their stomachs when
doing this exercise.

Not only are they a poor choice for core strength, but sit-ups create
pressure on spinal disks, which can lead to injury by increasing your lower
back pain rather than lowering it. To maintain good health and improve
low back pain, try more suitable workouts like the ones outlined further
on.

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Hamstring Stretches
Hamstring stretches relieve the back of the leg, where some of the
muscles that support the work of the lower spine are found. As shown in
the photo, this is a stretch that bene ts from the use of a towel or tness
band.

To perform a hamstring stretch, follow these steps:

First, lie on your back with one knee bent.

Next, thread a towel beneath the ball of the foot on the unbent leg.
Pull back on the towel slowly, straightening your knee. You ought to feel a
gentle stretch along the back of your leg.
Hold the stretch for at least 15-30 seconds.
For each leg, repeat 5 times.

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Avoid Leg Lifts

Once in a while, leg lifts are suggested as useful treatments for lower
back pain. That's because they help strengthen abdominal muscles,
which play an important part in back health. Unfortunately, lying on your
back and lifting both legs together can worsen back pain, and could
cause injury.

Instead of relying on leg lifts for better spine health, try this modi ed leg
lift for lower back pain:

First, lie on your back. Leave one leg straight, and bend the other leg at the
knee.
Next, lift the straight leg slowly up about six inches from the ground and
brie y hold it in this position.
Finally, slowly lower the leg.
Repeat 10 times with the left leg, then switch to the right leg.

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Wall Sits
When it comes to low back pain, try some wall sits as a break from sitting
on the couch. To do these wall sits properly and without injury, follow
these steps:

Stand with your back facing the wall at a distance of about 10 to 12 inches.
Carefully lean into the wall until your spine is at against it.
Slide down the wall slowly until your knees are bent slightly. Continue to
press your low back into the wall.
Hold this position for a count of 10, then carefully slide back up the wall.
Repeat 8 to 12 times.

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Press-up Back Extensions

Another treatment for back pain symptoms is the press-up back
extension. Here are the steps:

Lie on your stomach. Position your hands directly underneath your shoulders.
Push down on your hands. You should feel your shoulders begin to lift away
from the oor.
If you can do so comfortably, set your elbows on the oor directly beneath
your shoulders. Then spend several seconds holding this position.

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Bird Dog
It's a bird! It's a dog! No, it's a tness routine to ease low back pain! The
bird dog is a great way to learn to stabilize the low back during
movements of the arms and legs. Here's how it is done:

To begin, get on your hands and knees.

Tighten your abdominal muscles.
With one leg, lift and extend it behind you while keeping your hips level.
Hold that position for a full ve seconds.
Now switch to the other leg.
For each leg, repeat eight to 12 times. For an added challenge, try
lengthening the time you hold each lift.
For each repetition, try lifting and extending your opposite arm in front of you.
Don't allow your lower back muscles to sag.
Stay in position—don't lift your arms or legs any higher than the low back
position can maintain.

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Knee to Chest
Here's another way to get your legs pumping as a treatment for low back
pain symptoms. Follow these directions to perform a safe knee-to-chest
workout..

Lie on your back. Put your feet at on the oor and bend your knees.
Draw your right knee up to your chest. Keep the left foot at against the oor.
Hold for 15-30 seconds. Meanwhile, be sure to keep your lower back at on
the oor.
Next, lower your right knee. Repeat the routine with the left leg.
For each leg, perform knee-to-chest two to four times.

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Pelvic Tilts
Before back pain has you writhing on the oor with the usual symptoms,
try lying on your back for some pelvic tilts. This workout is designed to
strengthen your pelvis, which often works in concert with the core
muscles along your spine. Making sure your abdomen can pull its fair
share means your spine pain will have one less possible cause.

Lie with your back and upper body on the oor with your knees bent. Keep
your feet at on the oor.
Pull in your stomach. Imagining your belly button is being pulled toward your
backbone—this helps keep your stomach tight. Doing this, you will notice
your hips rocking back as your back and spine press into the oor.
Hold this movement for 10 seconds, allowing your breath to smoothly enter
and exit your chest.
Repeat your pelvic tilts eight to 12 times.

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Glute Bridges (Bridging)

Bridging o ers so much for the symptoms of back pain. This exercise
helps strengthen various supporting players for your back like the
hamstrings, glutes, transverse abdominis, abdomen and hips. It also works
directly to strengthen the lower back. Follow these steps to assure a safe
and rewarding bridge workout:

Lie with your back to the oor, knees bent with only your heels touching the
oor.
Dig your heels into the oor. Squeeze down on your glutes. Lift your hips up
until your shoulders, hips, and knees make a single, straight line.
Hold this position for about six seconds.
Slowly bring your hips back to the oor and give yourself about 10 seconds of
rest.
Repeat bridges eight to 12 times.

There are a couple of things to remember when bridging. First, try not to
arch your lower back while your hips are moving upward. Next, avoid
overarching. You can do that by keeping your abdomen tight both before
and throughout the lift.

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Carefully Choose a Weight Lifting Regimen

If properly done, weight lifting will not exacerbate your back pain. In fact,
you may feel that pain start to melt away as weight lifting begins to
strengthen your lower back and supporting body parts.

However, when your back pain comes on suddenly (what doctors call
acute pain), the additional stress of weight training could put you in harm's
way, potentially leading to injury. To use weight lifting as a back-pain
treatment, start by talking to your doctor. Your doctor can advise you on
whether or not to lift weights. If they are recommended, your physician
can advise you on which workouts to stay away from.

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Aerobic Exercises
Aerobic workouts—sometimes called cardio—help strengthen the whole
cardiovascular system, from the lungs and heart down to the blood
vessels themselves. Aerobics can include biking, swimming, walking, or
many other exercises that elevate your heart rate and get you moving. To
start, try a short session. Then over time, lengthen the session as your
stamina improves.

Since back pain sometimes requires special care, try swimming as a

treatment for your symptoms. In swimming, the water supports your body
weight, giving your back a break. Be careful to avoid any strokes that
require your body to twist.

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Some Pilates
A routine that incorporates strengthening and stretching with a focus on
the abdominal core sounds ideal for those who su er from back pain
symptoms. Pilates is a training workout that sometimes uses an apparatus
called a Reformer to emphasize exibility and endurance along with
strength. But many Pilates exercises can be performed without any
special equipment.

With help from an experienced instructor, Pilates may help some people
with low back pain. Make sure your instructor knows about your pain
ahead of time, as you may need to skip some moves.

Sources: 
WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information
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