Exercises to help with lower back pain
Stretching
Child Pose:
- Begin on your hands and knees, with your knees hip-width apart and your feet together.
- Lower your hips back towards your heels while stretching your arms out in front of you.
- Rest your forehead on the ground and hold the pose for 30-60 seconds, breathing deeply.
Cat/Cow Poses:
- Begin on your hands and knees, with your wrists under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
- Inhale and arch your back, lifting your head and tailbone towards the ceiling (Cow pose).
- Exhale and round your spine towards the ceiling, tucking your chin to your chest and bringing your tailbone towards your knees (Cat pose).
- Repeat the sequence several times, moving smoothly between the two poses.
Knee to Chest with Rotation:
- Lie flat on your back with your legs extended.
- Bend your right knee and bring it towards your chest.
- Keep your left leg extended on the ground and hold onto your right knee with both hands.
- Rotate your right knee to the left, keeping your right shoulder on the ground.
- Repeat on the other side.
Both Knees to Chest:
- Lie flat on your back with your legs extended.
- Bend both knees and bring them towards your chest.
- Hold onto your knees with both hands and breathe deeply, feeling the stretch in your lower back.
- Release the pose and repeat several times.
Figure 4 Stretch:
- Lie flat on your back with your legs extended.
- Bend your right knee and place your ankle on your left knee.
- Reach through your legs and hold onto your left thigh.
- Pull your left knee towards your chest, feeling the stretch in your right glutes and hip.
- Repeat on the other side.
Sitting Spinal Stretch:
- Sit on the floor with your legs crossed.
- Reach your arms up overhead, interlocking your fingers and stretching your spine.
- Keep your back straight and hold the pose for 30-60 seconds, breathing deeply.
Hamstring Stretch with Towel:
- Sit on the floor with your legs extended in front of you.
- Loop a towel around the sole of your right foot and hold the ends of the towel with both hands.
- Keeping your knee straight, lift your right foot towards the ceiling until you feel a stretch in your hamstring.
- Hold the stretch for 30-60 seconds, breathing deeply.
- Repeat on the other side.
Strengthening
Dead Bug:
- Lie flat on your back with your arms extended overhead and legs in the air, bent at a 90-degree angle at the knees.
- Lower your left arm and right leg toward the floor at the same time, keeping your lower back pressed into the floor.
- Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side, lowering your right arm and left leg.
Bird Dog:
- Begin on your hands and knees, keeping your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
- Simultaneously extend your right arm and left leg, keeping your back flat and your core engaged.
- Hold for a few seconds and then return to the starting position.
- Repeat with your left arm and right leg.
Forearm Plank:
- Start in a push-up position, but instead of resting on your hands, rest on your forearms.
- Keep your body in a straight line from head to heels and engage your core to maintain stability.
- Hold for 30-60 seconds, or as long as you can maintain proper form.
Lying Windshield Wipers:
- Lie flat on your back with your arms extended out to the sides.
- Raise your legs until they are perpendicular to the floor.
- Slowly lower your legs to one side, keeping your lower back pressed into the floor.
- Bring your legs back to the center and then lower them to the other side.
Slow Mountain Climber:
- Start in a push-up position with your hands directly under your shoulders.
- Slowly bring your right knee toward your chest, then return to the starting position.
- Repeat with your left knee.
- Continue alternating knees, keeping your core engaged and your back flat.
Hanging Knee Raises:
- Hang from a pull-up bar with your palms facing away from your body.
- Engage your core and raise your knees toward your chest.
- Lower your legs back down and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
If you want to know more about correct technique or would like professional advice from one of our personal trainers then please get in touch. Furthermore, if you are including lower back exercises into your regime and they are causing you some aches and pains, then we can help there too with our specialist sports massage service. For more information on how these types of massage could help you, contact us on 07939 212 739 or drop us an email at info@livewellhealth.co.uk