First A Few Quick Tips
Stretch your lower back with safety and care. Be especially gentle and cautious if you have any type of injury or health concern. Its best to talk with your doctor first before starting any new types of exercise.
You can do these stretches once or twice a day. But if the pain seems to get worse, or youre feeling very sore, take a day off from stretching.
Be mindful of your bodys limits and dont push your body to do too much. Listen to your body and do what feels best for you in each moment.
As you go through these stretches, take your time and pay close attention to your breathing. Use your breath as a guide to make sure you dont strain or overdo it. You should be able to breathe comfortably and smoothly throughout each pose or stretch.
Stretching To Relieve Back Pain: A Practical Guide
At this very moment, there are tens of millions of people wishing there were a magical cure for back pain. After all, back pain is the single leading cause of disability in the world, with experts estimating that upwards of 80% of the population will at one time or another experience back pain. Further, Americans alone spend an estimated $50 billion per year on back pain.
While no one magical cure exists, for many people suffering from back pain, there is an easy and inexpensive way to find relief from back pain. Its exercise, and this is a comprehensive guide to exercise for back pain relief.
An Overview
An exercise program for back pain is one that must be carefully undertaken. When done in a controlled and gradual manner, exercising can help keep the ligaments, discs, muscles, and joints of the back healthy. However, when done in an uncontrolled and overly aggressive manner, exercising may worsen back pain or cause new injuries.
A successful exercise program for lessening or eliminating back pain has three components: low-impact aerobic exercise, stretching and strengthening. Though the back is obviously the focus of the majority of the exercises, the program will work the entire body in order to improve overall strength and health, which will positively impact the spine.
If you have a pre-existing back issue or any other health condition, you may want to consult with your doctor before beginning an exercise program.
Low-Impact Aerobic Exercise for Back Pain Relief
How To Do The Spinal Twist Stretch
Try the low lunge twist stretch as an alternative.
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When Should You Practice
This routine makes for a good warm-up or cool down for your other training, but it can really be practiced at any time. Some people enjoy doing this routine when they first wake up to shake off the cobwebs, or just before going to sleep to get a nice stretch in. Really, you can do this routine whenever it works best for you.
The best times to work on hip mobility:
- in the morning to get your day started
- as part of your regular training doesnt matter if its before or after, just fit it in wherever it feels best or you
The First Step To Resolving Aches And Pains In Your Low Back
Having pain in your lower back can make everything from getting out of bed to taking a stroll seem difficult. Fortunately, gentle stretching can ease some of the discomfort you feel. Slow, easy movements can help lengthen and strengthen your back muscles while supporting your spine. Are you ready to find relief from soreness and stiffness? Put on some relaxing music and try these stretches to help back pain.
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What Causes Lower Back Pain
Before we get into how to stretch your lower back muscles, let’s discuss the common causes for lower back pain. Depending on the cause of your pain, you may wish to take a different approach to stretching altogether.
We spoke with Alexandra Merisoiu, founder of Move Wild Academy and Legacy Karate . She holds a Level 4 certificate in physical activity and lifestyle strategies for managing low back pain. “Lower back pain is often caused by poor posture, tight muscles and lack of general mobility and flexibility,” she said. “This is called non-specific lower back pain as it is not caused by events such as accidents, slipped discs or any other obvious reason.”
This kind of pain is important to address, as it can eventually lead to injuries in other muscle groups due to the added tension. “Moreover the discomfort can affect your mood, concentration, productivity and general wellbeing,” she says.
Merisoiu recommends doing regular stretches to relieve tension in the lower back, while also working on improving posture and increasing mobility and flexibility to prevent this type of lower back pain in the future.
If you’re wondering how to achieve this, our handy guide on how to improve your flexibility is a good place to start.
Video: 4 Easy Stretches For Neck And Shoulder Pain
See how to correctly perform the 4 neck stretches listed above.Watch Now
Stretches that are not recommended include neck circles or quickly stretching the neck forward and backward or side to side. These stretches may cause muscles strain or place additional stress on the cervical spine.
See Neck Stretches
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How To Stretch Your Lower Back
ByMeg Walterspublished 12 May 22
Find out how to stretch your lower back, whether you have tight muscles from a workout or from sitting at a desk.
Knowing how to stretch your lower back can make a huge difference when it comes to preventing lower back pain, an incredibly common condition that can result from workouts, poor posture, spinal problems, or injury.
Certain fitness equipment can be useful for stretching and strengthening your back, such as foam rollers or a set of the best resistance bands . And one of the many benefits of yoga is that it stretches out your back, too.
Here’s what to do if you’re experiencing some stiffness and need some relief.
- Related: 8 benefits of stretching
How To Loosen A Tight Lower Back
If you have a tight lower back, it could be a result of a variety of possible things. When you spend time at school, work, or at home on the computer, your lower back becomes tight from sitting for long periods of time.
This can also happen after going to the gym and lifting weights or doing any other type of exercise that requires you to bend over. A tight lower back can cause pain in your back and even mess with your posture.
Because the lower back is made up of many soft tissues, it is susceptible to becoming tight and immobile. The following exercises are each designed to help lengthen your lower back in a way that will be beneficial for you.
How To Loosen Tight Lower Back Muscles
Recommended Reading: Mayo Clinic Low Back Pain Exercises
Low Back Stretches Can Be A Back Pain Remedy
Lower back stretching and physical therapy can help decrease the risk of low back pain and sciatica symptoms. It can also increase your ability to walk, bend, and perform the normal activities of life. If you have low back pain or these stretches do not help, you might need to see an orthopedic physician specializing in the low back. We have a team of experts who are ready to help! If you want to learn more about the lower back anatomy, go to SPINE ANATOMY
Please read this article on the FAST TRACK SPINE PROGRAM of watch this VIDEO if you are interested in receiving physical therapy. If you want to learn more about robotic spine surgery, please read this article.
Is Yoga A Good Low Back Stretch
Yoga Lower Back Stretch
The quick answer is Yes! Yoga is a great form of exercise to increase:
- fitness
- flexibility
- mindfulness
Yoga is also helpful to stretch the lower back muscles. It is important to start slow and gently. If you have a pulled back muscle or any other low back problem, you should see a doctor or physical therapist before starting Yoga.
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How Should You Use Lower Back Stretches Like These Yoga Poses To Help Reduce Back Pain
Although each of the stretches below are helpful on their own, theyre especially beneficial as a flow, New York Citybased yoga instructor Shanna Tyler tells SELF.
For lower back pain relief, try choosing five or six from the list below as a flow, and plan on holding each pose for 10 seconds to one minute, making sure to take deep breaths throughout the hold.
If your lower back feels relief with that sequence, you can work up to holding each pose for longer, up to three minutes. In terms of frequency, you can do yoga daily if youd like, but if youre doing beginner yoga for back pain, start with just a couple times per week. Also, many people find it useful to break up these lower back stretches into a few mini-sessions when their back feels particularly tight, like first thing in the morning or after sitting at work all day.
- Childs Pose
- Knees to Chest With Slow Rock
- Reclined Pigeon Pose
How To Do The Cat
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How To Loosen Tight Back Muscles For Lower Back Pain Relief
There is nothing worse than tight back muscles or a stiff neck to keep me from being active like I would like to be. Do you have tight neck muscles from sitting at a desk all day? Or how about a tight lower back when getting out of bed in the mornings? Tense muscles are a pain, literally. Are you one of the many women over 40 who want to be more active but aches and pains are holding you back? I have a solution for you.
I have quite a bit of experience with back pain over the past 7 years or so. Tight back muscles, neck and shoulder pain can all limit what you are able to do. A stiff lower back and neck tension are huge obstacles to losing weight and being active.
I am back from the horse show at the Tryon International Equestrian Center, aka Horse Disneyland. I truly cant describe the overall excitement and feeling of being at TIEC when you love horses and showing like I do. However, it is a lot of physical work with long days to take care of horses, stalls, tack, with a lot of walking and of course, fun horseback riding. As much fun as this is, the lower back pain can affect my activity level if I dont take precautions and nurse it when necessary.
Burpees are out of the question anymore, but I wont complain about that. For the most part, I can do what I want as long as I take proper care of my back and so far it hasnt gotten as bad as it was a couple of years ago. That was when I learned pickleball could not be on my list of activities anymore either.
Exercise To Loosen Muscles
Although it may seem counterintuitive to exercise when lower back pain is causing you grief, the right kind of movement can help eliminate the discomfort. Its always important to consult your physician before you engage in exercise when you have pain, but this conversation is well worth having if youre suffering.
First, you should keep in mind that not all exercise is beneficial in combating back pain. Try to avoid toe-touch exercises and sit-ups, which may add to the stress on your spine instead of relieving it. Leg lifts are another exercise to stay away from when you are hurting. If your core is not strong, leg lifts could be too demanding on your body if youre already experiencing pain.
Several types of exercises can be useful when you need to relieve back pain. Partial crunches can aid in strengthening your core without applying too much pressure to the area. Slow and controlled wall-sit exercises may also be useful. Other repetitions to consider include bringing each knee to the chest in succession, pelvic tilts, and swimming.
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Stretch #: Inner Thigh Stretch
Stretching the groin and inner thighs, muscles which are connected to the pelvis, can help tremendously with hip mobility and reducing back pain. This stretch releases the adductors , which are often called upon when glutes, core and/or hip muscles are weak. This can leave them tight and shortened, which prevents hip movement, explains Kalika.
How to: Sitting down on the floor, open your legs wide apart. Flex your feet and engage your quads. If you cannot sit upright in this position, sit on a pillow or on a yoga block. For a deeper stretch, lean forward.
Stretching For Back Pain Relief
Regularly stretching the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that support the spine is an important element of all back exercise programs. Stretches designed to alleviate neck and back pain are likely to be prescribed by a doctor, physical therapist, or spine specialist.
See Specialists Who Treat Back Pain
Benefits of stretching include:
- Reducing tension in muscles supporting the spine tension in these muscles can worsen pain from any number of back pain conditions
- Improving range of motion and overall mobility
- Reducing risk of disability caused by back pain
Pain that lasts longer than 3 months may require weeks or months of regular stretching to successfully reduce pain. Stretches may be included as part of a physical therapy program, and/or recommended to be done at home on a daily basis.
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Stretches To Ease Lower Back Pain
My back is killing me. These five words are said by co-workers, family, friends, almost every person we regularly come in contact with will say them sooner or later. In fact, a study performed at the University of North Carolina found that more than an overwhelming 80 percent of people will experience an episode of back pain at some point in their life. As people age, often the spine will experience degenerative changes. As these changes occur, there is less space between the vertebrae, which can increase back pain. When the spine is flexed, pressure is off-loaded. Because of this, a flexion based program is often used to help relieve symptoms of lower back pain. Here are four stretches for lower back pain that almost everyone can do.
Lower Back Pain Can Be A Sign Of Stored Emotions
For me, lower back pain is often a sign of age-old frustrations that Im still holding onto. This is quite a common phenomenon too, as our lower back is one of the secret areas where we store repressed anger, Sean Grover L.C.S.W. explains in this Psychology Today article. So, read up on the links between stress, repressed anger, poor posture, and pain: most likely, youre experiencing at least one of the above.
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How To Avoid Pain In Lower Back Caused By Tight Psoas Muscles
There are easy ways to prevent your Psoas from tightening, which in turn help you avoid pain in lower back.
The thing about posture is thatour tissues, in this case our Psoas, adopt the resting position we maintain all day long. So, it is essential to keep in mind to change posture every now and then.
- When sitting, rest your back against the backrest of the chair. Dont lean forward, as we normally do, because this causes the Psoas muscles to shorten and tighten.
- Stop the habit of hooking your feet under the chair. Many of us have this habit of hooking our feet under the chair. This only provokes more hip flexion thus activating the Psoas all the more. The proper and healthy way of sitting on a chair is to set your feet flat on the floor. If you have a footrest, it is ideal to use it.
- When exercising at the gym, avoid seated exercises. When your work requires you to sit all day, would you still want to sit down while exercising? Put your whole body at work choose to run on the treadmill or use the overhead press as replacement of the seated press.
- Sleep on your back. Sleeping on your stomach allows your back to hyperextend which only intensifies the tightening of the psoas muscles, promoting lordotic posture.
- Avoid staying stationary. It is always advisable to move more do stretching exercises or change positions to avoid contracting our Psoas.
However, choosing to address or treat your Psoas at home is certainly feasible and effective as well.
