5 Exercises to Help with Low Back Pain
Unfortunately, lower back pain is very common. The World Health Organization says that it is “the single leading cause of disability and the condition for which the greatest number of people may benefit from rehabilitation.”
As always, I believe and ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So if you are feeling tightness or mild strain in your low back, I have some tips that could possibly prevent you from having more serious, debilitating issues. If you are already to the point of pain that limits your daily activities, please consult with your Dr.
1- Strengthen your Core- The lumbar spine is held stable by your “intrinsic core”. The muscles of the instrinsic core are deep and wrap around the spine- hugging and stabilizing it. If these stabilizing muscles are not working to their full potential, the low back is not getting the support it needs to carry on with daily activities.
I’ve worked with thousands of people over the years and I have learned that this is one area that we are all lacking in knowledge and practice. Most of us know how to a sit up but that doesn’t necessarily require engagement of the intrinsic core, so we override those deeper- stabilizing and “postural” muscles of the core. In my opinion, this should be something that is taught in gym classes at an early age, perhaps it would reduce the incidence of low back pain in our society.
In this video, I teach you how to use breathing and activation of the TA (Transversus Abdominus) and pelvic floor to stabilize your core. Man or woman, you have a pelvic floor. The diaphragm and pelvic floor are essential elements in the stability of the core as they work together to create a cylinder of contraction. I talk about bringing your pelvis into a posterior tilt or imprint, if you need more instruction on that, see this video.
Work on this daily for 7 days and see the improvements. Then you can work up to some more difficult exercises like these Toe Taps, Imprint to Table Top, and finally Dead Bug.
2- Cat~Cow- Many of us have either an anteriorly or posteriorly tipped pelvis. The anteriorly tipped pelvis (think dancer, pregnant momma, or man with a beer belly) can cause more compression in the lumbar vertebrae.
This exercise moves the lumbar spine through flexion and extension and also requires the recruitment of the abdominals to help make that movement. It feels so good to get that space in the low back if you are one who stands in that compressed position (like me).
You can do this daily or 3-4 times per week.
3- Spine Twist- In this exercise we are crossing one leg over the middle and getting rotation in the spine.. This rotation can lengthen the back muscles and also release the hips. I love this exercise because you also get the muscles right above your hips to your ribs- called your quadratus lumborum. You could be limited in the movement due to tightness in your back- but it also could be coming from the sides of your legs- specifically your IT bands.
You could do this daily in bed or on the floor while you are watching TV.
4- Stability Ball Hang- Sometimes gravity can compress, and sometimes we can use it to our advantage to de-compress. In this video, I am hanging over the stability ball and letting gravity do its thing. The weight of my knees is heavy and it gently pulls the vertebrae open and into flexion. If it feels too intense for you, you can put more weight into your toes, reducing the pull on your back. You can also hang for shorter durations of time. It does compress the ribcage in the front, so you get to practice breathing to the sides and the back of your ribcage- which is an added bonus for diaphragm breathing practice.
Do this 3-4 times per week- working up to 2 minutes.
5- Foam Rolling the Quads- Ok, forgive me for this one, but it has to be done. The quads attach to the pelvis. When they are tight, they pull the top of the pelvis down in the front. When the top of the pelvis pulls down in the front, it compresses the spine in the back. So although this is no one’s favorite exercise, it has tremendous power to reduce back pain. I highly recommend the softer foam roller for this. A yoga bolster or a few pillows can make this more comfortable for you to hold up your body weight. Take this slow and it will become easier in time.
I could really tell a noticeable difference in my back when I did this 3-4 times a week.