Exercises for painful lower back
Medically Reviewed By : Dr Sravya, MBBS, MS
Introduction
Are you looking for remedies to cure your lower back pain? Did you know, there are exercises for painful lower back pain? This will help you in eliminating the pain. Exercising and strengthening your lower back will help you now as well as in your old age. Before jumping into any remedies, it is crucial to know the cause behind the pain to treat it better. Lower back pain is one of the most common conditions faced by the most. Some types may require other treatment modalities including medication, injections or even surgery in addition to physical therapy. In this article, we will delve into the exercises for painful lower back and their importance.
What could be the cause of your lower back pain
The causes behind your lower back pain can be numerous, let’s look into some of the possible reasons:
- Muscle strain or sprain due to any injury.
- Pain from medical conditions or diseases like bone tumour, osteoporosis, disc-related conditions.
- Low bone density.
- Birth defects to the spine cause abnormal spine shape.
- Let's go through various exercises and stretching that will help to relieve the painful lower back.
Excercise 1 : knee rotation
- Directions to perform the exercise:
- First, lay down on flat ground then bend your knees while keeping your feet flat on the floor.
- Now you have to bring your knees close to your chest.
- Then wrap your arms around the knees.
- Hold this position for 15 to 30 seconds.
- Repeat this exercise 3 times daily with 5 times in each set.
Exercise 2: knees to chest
- Directions to perform the exercise are as follows:
- First, lay down on flat ground then bend your knees while keeping your feet flat on the floor.
- Now gently start to move your knees side to side in a wiper motion.
- Repeat the exercise 3 times a day with 10 rotations on each side.
Exercise 3: child’s pose
- This is also called the prayer stretch and helps to relax the strained lower back muscles and spine.
- Directions to perform the exercise:
- Start your position by placing your hands and knees on the flat ground, where your hands under the shoulder and knees under the hips.
- Now slowly sit back on your heels and drop your face and chest to extend further.
- Hold this position for 15 to 30 seconds.
- Repeat this 5 times a day.
Exercise 4: foam rolling
- This exercise helps to soothe the back muscles.
- Directions to perform the exercise:
- Lay back on a flat floor and bend your knees and arms back to your neck.
- Now slowly sit Place a foam roller under your mid-back on your heels and drop your face and chest to extend further.
- Now gently try to extend your spine backwards by keeping the foam roller between your mid-back and lower back.
- Hold the pose for 30 seconds.
Exercise 5: lower back rotation
- Directions to perform the exercise:
- Lay back on a flat floor.
- Now tuck back one foot to the other knee.
- Gently pull the leg across and hold for 30 seconds.
- Repeat the exercise 5 times for each leg.
Exercise 6: pelvic tilt
- Directions to perform the exercise:
- Lay down on a flat floor and bend your knees.
- Now gently lift up your pelvis making an arch, leaving a gap between the floor and your lower back.
- Then come back to the initial position.
- Repeat it 20 to 30 times a day.
Exercise 7 : extension lunge
- Directions to perform the exercise:
- For your initial position, stand up straight with your feet together.
- Take a step forward and extend your right leg.
- Keep the other leg behind, with its heel touching the ground.
- Return to the starting position and repeat the same procedure with the same leg.
- Go for 10 repetitions, 5 times a day.
Exercise 8 : spiky ball roll on glutes
- Directions to perform the exercise:
- Sit straight with your legs extending forward.
- Slowly place both of your palms behind you on the mat. With the support of your palms, slightly lift your body.
- Place a spiky ball under your buttocks and slightly bending your one leg, while keeping the other in an extended position.
- Use a spiky ball to roll out tight muscles in your buttock.
- Roll the ball around the fleshy part of your buttock for 30 – 60 seconds at a time.
Exercise 9 : hamstring stretch
- Directions to perform the exercise:
- Lay on your back, with both legs bent .
- Now slightly raise your one leg in the air with a stretch band around your foot, keeping the other in the same bent position.
- Hold for 30 seconds, repeat both legs 5 times.
Conclusion:
Whilst these exercises for lower back pain should help it’s important to understand why the pain is occurring in the first place.
A physiotherapist will help determine the root cause of the problem and set out a specific program tailored to your needs to ensure you get the best outcomes for you.
Back pain can easily be put down to the ageing process and although there is some truth to that, the amount of stiffness you feel does not have to relate to how old you are.
As you age, the fluid that lubricates joints decreases, cartilage thins and muscles tighten, however there can be other factors at play when it comes to back pain and stiffne
- Dehydration can lead to stiff muscles. Muscles are active tissues, which means they’re the kind of tissue that require the most water in the body. So be sure to drink enough water.
- Inactivity is another culprit leaving your muscles sedentary for a prolonged period (sleep, sitting in a chair, driving for hours etc.) can cause them to stiffen so try to keep moving.
- Stress causes our bodies to tighten up with prolonged stress leading to a tight posture and strain on the muscles.
- I hope you’ve found this information useful. If you’d like to know more about how we can help, give us a call at your nearest practice.
