Helpful Guide To Reduce Your Lower Back Pain

There are many people today who deal with chronic, and disruptive lower back pain. Lower back pain can be a result of strain, stress, poor sleeping positions, or simply sitting at a desk too long. In fact, many people who live sedentary lives with desk jobs have pretty serious back pain. This type of lower back pain can make even the most simple everyday activities difficult and painful. Even something as easy as walking up the stairs or picking up your child can be a challenge when you have lower back pain.  For many people, it can also make sleeping on your mattress quite difficult, or even impossible.

The good news is that there are many expert-recommended stretches that can help with this back pain especially if you are dealing with that low, aching muscular back pain that so many people today struggle with. The more you understand about back pain, why it happens and what you can do to help relieve that back pain on your own—the better. These stretches can help you enjoy less pain, better function and stability and improved sleep at night, and it doesn’t require expensive treatments, difficult physical therapy or pain killers and medications. Take a look below to find out more.

Lower Back Pain is Common

If you are struggling with lower back pain—then you are not alone. In fact, lower back pain is extremely common and it impacts all types of people from all different walks of life. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes, about 80 percent of adults experience some type of low back pain during their life. Low back pain is the most common cause of people taking work disability or missing work. Plus, low back pain impacts both men and women equally—so anyone can be at risk. The good news is that most low back pain is short term and can be treated with rest, rehabilitation and stretching.

If you are dealing with ongoing shooting back pain, or chronic back issues, then you need to seek advice from a medical professional for further diagnosis.

The Importance of Core Stability

Before you get into all of the different stretches that are known to help lower back pain—you need to understand the importance of core stability. Many people think that their core is just their belly, but it really encompasses the entire central “core” of your body. This includes your front abdominal muscles, the muscles along the side of your body, the abdominal muscles in your front and the muscles that are located between the bones in your spine.

Make sense why back pain and core stability are connected?

If you have better core stability and stronger core muscles, it will help not only with your current back pain, but it will help prevent further back pain and injuries from happening as well. The hip flexor and hamstring muscles which connect to the low back can also be contributing factors to low back pain—which is why you will see a few of these exercises that specifically target these areas.

If the muscles in your back are weak, you are more likely to have back pain and you are more likely to get injuries in this area. This is why in addition to stretching, core strengthening exercises are also a great addition to your routine and a great way to help with your back pain issues.

Stretches That Can Help Relieve Lower Back Pain

If you are dealing with aching back pain, then there are a few different stretches that you can try that will really help. These stretches will provide you with some relieve not only in the lower back, but in the core, hips and surrounding muscles that may be contributing to your low back pain. Here are a few of the most common stretches for lower back pain—and they are pretty easy for you to do on your own in the comfort of your own home.

Bridges

Bridges are common hip exercises that not only stretch out the core of the body but help to tone and strengthen the core as well—which can prevent further back issues from happening. This exercise will stretch out the core, low back, hamstrings and pelvis.

Here’s how you do it.

• Lie on your back, with your head flat against the floor

• Gentle roll your hips off the ground slowly, vertebrae by vertebrae

• After you have lifted the majority of your core off the mat, until only your shoulder blades are on the floor, hold the position

• Keep your hips even and pointed towards the ceiling, keeping your glutes and your low to mid back off the ground

• Hold this position for 30 seconds and slowly release, rolling your body back down on the ground carefully and slowly

Repeat this exercise several times to enjoy a great overall stretch of this area.

Trunk Rotation

Trunk rotations are a great way to stretch out the core and the obliques and also strengthen this area of the body to create some more core stability. Here’s how to perform the trunk rotation.

• Lie on a comfortable surface on your back.

• Bring your knees up towards your chest at a 90-degree angle

• Let your arms fully extend out to the side, placing your palms down on the floor or mat

• Keeping your knees together and gently roll them to the right side and hold this position for 20 seconds—feeling a nice deep stretch

• Return your knees to the starting position

• Repeat the same rotation on the left side and hold again

If you do this exercise a few times on each side you will start to feel your low back, particular the sides of your low back stretched out and less tense.

Cat Cow Stretch

The Cat Cow stretch is a popular move in yoga and it is great for the core and for the lower back. This exercise will help relieve tension and increase flexibility in the core and spine while relieving that tight back discomfort.

• Carefully get on the hands and knees.

• Your hands and knees should be hip width apart, and you should be looking straight ahead. Try not to strain your neck. This is your “neutral” position.

• Arch your back toward the ceiling and pull your belly button towards the spine. As you do this, tuck your chin in towards the chest and drop the head forward. This is the cat stretch.

• Hold this stretch for 10 seconds, enjoying a gentle stretch.

• Return to your neutral position for a moment.

• Raise our head upward, looking toward the ceiling.

• Let your pelvis fall forward and let the pelvis fall toward the floor. This is “cow.” Hold this position for 10 seconds, then return to neutral.

You should go between “cat” and “cow” several times feeling a nice stretch in the lower back as you do.

Pelvic Tilt

If you have tightness in the pelvis and lower back, then the pelvic tilt exercise is a great option to consider. It is great for flexibility and to help relieve stress in the lower back. Here’s how to do this exercise:

• Lie on your back, with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.

• Let your arms lie by your side.

• Your lower back should be lifted slightly off the floor, thanks to the natural curves of your spine.

• Push your stomach out and toward the ceiling, gently arching your lower back near the pelvis.

• Hold this stretch for 10 seconds, then release and relax.

• Repeat by pushing your pelvis back up to the ceiling. Make sure the tighten the abdomen and buttock muscles as you do.

The pelvis tilt is only a slight tilt of the pelvis. You only need to move it a few inches at a time and you should feel a nice stretch in the area without too much strain.

Seat Forward Bend

The seat forward bend is a very easy exercise and one that can really help stretch out the back if you are having overall tightness in this area. This is a great yoga exercise if you have really low back pain near the buttock as it really stretches out the hamstrings. Simply sit on the floor with a nice straight spine and with your legs right on in front of you. Gentle bend forward at the hips, reaching towards your toes and keeping your back and your legs straight. Your goal should be to bring your belly as close to your legs as possible.

You should do this stretch until you feel a light, but not painful stretch in the back and all the way down the back of your legs. Your goal should be to hold this stretch for at least 30 seconds at a time.

Flexion Rotation

If you really want to work out those tight muscles in your lower back, then consider the flexion rotation stretch. This will really work the lower back near the buttock and the upper hamstrings.

This is how you perform the flexion rotation exercise:

• Lie on your left side and keep both legs as straight but not locked out.

• Bend your right leg and tuck your foot behind the left knee.

• Grab your right knee with your left arm and place your right hand behind your neck.

• Carefully and slowly rotate your upper body backward and keep your right shoulder against the floor until you feel a stretch in your low back. Hold this for 10 seconds and repeat.

When you are done with this exercise, repeat on the right side so both sides of your low back get a stretch.

Belly Flops

This stretch may have a silly name but it can provide you with some serious back pain relief. You will need a rolled towel to help provide some support to your lower back and to help you get a great stretch.

Here’s how to do this exercise:

• Take your rolled up towel and place it on the ground in a horizontal manner.

• Lie on your belly, over the rolled towel so your hip bones are resting on the towel.

• Take a deep breath in and relax your body. Let your head fall gentle to one side or the other.

• Just lie in this position for 60 seconds at a time, taking very deep breaths that will really expand the diaphragm (an important part of the core) and stretch out the muscles.

The belly flop is a great way to conclude any stretching session and is one of the more relaxing stretches that will help bring some oxygen and stretching to this area of the core.

Consider Giving These Stretches A Try To Help Reduce Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain can really impact your overall quality of life and make even the simplest of activities quite difficult. However, you shouldn’t have to live with the agonizing pain of low back pain and you don’t have to deal with invasive treatments or drugs in order to get relief. Before you go to some more invasive treatments—consider giving these stretches a try. In order for these stretches to really work their magic and deliver the results you are looking for—you need to be diligent with your stretching. Make these stretches part of your daily routine, doing them several times a day to start enjoying the relief you have been looking for.

Shana Thompson is a full time professional writer and editor. Shana has worked extensively in the fields of content marketing, on-page and off-page SEO (guest posts, backlink acquisition), and creative writing. As an experienced pro content writer, Shana has worked on several magazines, publishing companies and marketing agencies. Many recent projects have included everything from nutrition and health services, where a lot of research and citations were needed, to writing about health, sustainable, eco-friendly products.

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