7 Best Exercises to Recover From Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain is a very common problem resulting from any injury to the tendons or muscles in the back. Medications alone cannot cure this problem, thus, arises the need for proper exercise and rest. If you want to know more about exercises for lower back pain, keep reading.

Multiple reasons can cause lower back pain. A few of them are listed below.

• Ligament or Muscle Strain: Continuous heavy lifting or a sudden awkward movement can strain spinal ligaments and back muscles. If one is in poor physical condition, putting constant strain on one’s back can cause painful muscle pains.
• Osteoarthritis: This is the most common form of arthritis  that can also lead to lower back pain. In some cases, this degenerative joint disease affects the joints in your spine. This, in turn, leads to severe lower back pain.
• Osteoporosis: The vertebrae of an individual’s spine can eventually develop painful fractures if the bones become brittle and porous.
• Diseases: Conditions like abdominal aortic aneurysm and kidney stones can cause back pain. The other diseases which can cause back pain include infections, several types of cancer and spine tumours.
• Disk Problems: The disk acts like a cushion for the vertebrae or the small spinal bones. The disks can press on a nerve by bulging from their position in the spinal cord and can cause a tear in the herniated disk.
• Structural Problems: Spinal stenosis is a condition which happens when the spinal column becomes too narrow for the spinal cord. In such conditions, lower back pain or severe sciatic pain can occur when something pinches the spinal cord.

• Occupation and Lifestyle: Jobs that require bending or heavy lifting can also cause lower back pain.
• Weight: Being overweight or obese can also cause back pain as the extra weight puts pressure on the discs and joints.
• Age: Individuals over 30 years tend to have more back pain because the soft tissues which act as a cushion between the bones in the spine wear away. The stiffness and pain increase when the disks start to wear down and weaken.
• Mental Health: Back pain can also result from anxiety and depression.
• Overall Health: Smoking, excessive use of alcohol and leading a sedentary lifestyle can be the root causes of back pain. These activities cause weakened abdominal muscles. Thus, they cannot support the spine, leading to back pains and strains.

One can understand if he or she has lower back pain if he or she faces any of the following symptoms.

• Muscle tightness in the pelvis, low back and hips
• Difficulty in standing up straight, or going from standing to sitting or walking
• Achy or dull pain in the lower back of the body
• Worsened pain in the lower back after prolonged standing or sitting
• Burning and stinging pain moves from the lower back to the lower feet or legs or sometimes to the backs of the thighs. This condition is also known as sciatica.

Given below is a list of relief exercises for lower back pain and stretches that one can try to reduce their pain.

1. Bird-Dog

The bird-dog exercise works efficiently on the gluteal muscles. It also helps exercise the back extensor muscles, which helps one stand, lift objects and bend. To perform this exercise for lower back pain, one must follow the steps mentioned below.

Step 1: Kneel down on your hands and knees and make sure the shoulders should be directly over the hands, and the hips should lie over the knees.

Step 2: Tighten your abdominal muscles and stretch the right arm straight out in front of the body.  Hold this position for a while and maintain balance.

Step 3: Slowly lift your left leg and extend it straight out behind the body and stay in this position for 15 seconds.

Step 4: Slowly return to the starting position and repeat the same on the opposite side of your body. Repeat this whole set for 5 times.

2. Plank

The plank exercise primarily focuses on the abdominals of one's body, but it also efficiently engages the shoulders, arms, feet, and hip flexors, making it a full-body exercise. Planks are also efficient in activating the back extensor muscles and the deepest back muscle- quadratus lumborum. To perform a plank follow these steps.

Step 1: Lie on your stomach with forearms against the floors. While doing it, your elbows should be directly in line with the shoulders. 

Step 2: Tense your gluteal and abdominal muscles. 

Step 3: Lift your hip and both knees above the floor and hold this position for 10-30 seconds without letting the pelvis muscles touch the floor.

Step 4: Gradually return to the starting position and repeat it 5 times.

3. Cat-Cow

Cat-cow exercise is a great option for waking up one's spine while it also helps in stretching one's neck, shoulders and chest. An additional benefit of doing this pose is improving coordination. You need to follow these steps to do this exercise.

Step 1: Come to a tabletop position where hands and knees are placed on the ground. 

Step 2: Press your hands and feet, then inhale to look up, allowing your belly to fill with air.

Step 3: As you exhale, tuck your chin into the chest while arching the spine towards the ceiling. 

Step 4: Continue this movement pattern and do it for 1 or 2 minutes.

4. Knee-to-Chest Stretch

Doing this stretching exercise for lower back pain helps relax one's thighs, glutes, and hips while also providing overall relaxation. To do this stretch, you must follow the following steps.

Step 1: Lie down on your back with both knees bent and feet flat on the floor. 

Step 2: Keep the left knee bent as you lift the right leg.

Step 3: Pull your right knee close to your chest using both your hands.

Step 4: While doing this stretching, you must lengthen your spine all the way down to the tailbone while avoiding lifting your hips.

Step 5: Keep breathing deeply and stay in this position for for 30 seconds to 1 minute and then gradually release the muscle tension.

Step 6: Repeat the same with your other leg.

5. Seated Lower Back Rotational Stretch

For some people it is difficult to sit on the floor to exercise. They can try this particular stretching exercise to get releive from lower back pain. However, while doing this exercise, one must be careful to not twist too far, which might end up hurting one's back. Follow these steps to do this stretching.

Step 1: Sit on an armless stool or chair and cross your right leg over the left. 

Step 2: Brace your left elbow against the outside of your right knee.

Step 3: Twist and stretch it to the side.

Step 4: You need to hold this position for 10 seconds, and then repeat this on the other side. You can repeat this exercise 3 to 5 times on each side twice daily.

6. Abdominal Drawing-in Maneuver

Having strong abdominal muscles helps in supporting the spine and keeps the hips properly aligned. However, weak abdominal muscles end up resulting in poor core strength, which can be a cause of lower back pain. The transversus abdominis is a deep abdominal muscle which helps stabilize the spine. The abdominal drawing-in manoeuvre helps in strengthening the TA. These are the steps to follow for doing this exercise.

Step 1: Lie on your back with knees bent. The arms should be kept by the sides of your body.

Step 2: Then, keeping the spine in a neutral position, you need to pull the belly button down your spine and breathe-in.

Step 3:  While exhaling, you must to tighten your abdominal muscles.

Step 4: Hold this position for 10 seconds and then release and rest for 15 seconds. Repeating this exercise 10 times is recommended.

7. Modified Seated Side Straddle

By doing this exercise, one can stretch your abductors, hamstrings, and extensor muscles in the lower and middle back. To do this exercise you need follow these steps.

Step 1: Sit down while keeping your egs flat against the floor.

Step 2: The legs should be extended out in front of your body, creating enough space to form a 'V' shape.

Step 3: Bend your left leg and bring your left foot up, touching the right knee and allowing the left knee to fall out away from his or her body.

Step 4: Keep your back straight and bend forwards from the hips to reach towards the right toe.

Step 5: Gradually bring your hand to the right ankle and lower your head to the knee. Stay in this position for 30 seconds and then relax for 30 seconds.

Step 6: Do this exercise on the other side and repeat it 5 to 6 times.

While exercising, one can reduce stiffness and pain in his or her lower back. The disks can exchange fluids and receive their nutrition while one engages in physical activity. A healthy disc acts like a sponge by swelling with water and squeezing it out.

Moreover, these exchanges in fluid help in reducing the swelling in other soft tissues that occur surrounding the injured discs. With a lack of exercise, the swelling increases and disks get malnourished and degenerated.

The pain and stiffness in the back get reduced by exercising because it keeps the connective fibres of tendons and ligaments flexible. Exercise also improves mobility which in turn prevents the connective fibres from tearing during stress, and this thereby prevents back pain and injury. Moreover, exercise also strengthens, stretches and repairs the muscles which support the back.

Although there are many strength exercises for lower back pain that one should do to relieve his or her pain, there are a few exercises that one should avoid as well. Here are the exercises.

• Standing Toe Touches: To do this exercise, one needs to bend forward while standing straight to touch his or her toes. Individuals with lower back pain should avoid it since it causes increased extension of the lower back and increases the risk of ligaments and discs there.
• Double Leg Raises: To do this exercise, one needs to lie down on his or her back while touching the ground and lifting both legs together. It requires strong core muscles to do this exercise, which eventually puts immense pressure on the lower back. Thus, one should avoid it.
• Abdominal Crunches: To do this exercise, one needs to lie on the ground on his or her back and bend his or her knee in the right position. Then, one needs to lift his or her torso and get close to his or her knee. This exercise requires hyperextending the ligaments and spine. Thus, one should avoid it.
• Back Squats: Back squats are a modified version of traditional squats. To do this exercise, a person requires to put a heavy-weight iron bar on his or her back and then perform the squats. However, individuals with back pain must avoid doing this as carrying heavy weights on their back can be hazardous.

That is all about exercises for lower back pain. One should maintain enough safety while doing these exercises. While doing it, if one faces any kind of difficulty or uneasiness, one should stop it immediately and consult an instructor or doctor instead.