Whenever you do exercises for lower back pain, remember to move slowly and be kind to your body. Especially if you are experiencing low back pain at this very moment. We all want to heal quickly and be done with this pain our lower back is in, but the honest truth is healing can take time. Your patience and understanding of the anatomy of your lower back area is essential to your pain relief and long term success.
Stretching Exercises for Lower Back Pain
I highly recommend incorporating very well known stretches that the yoga world uses into your daily routine. There are 3 that I particularly like to use whenever I am experiencing mild to moderate lower back pain. Remember slow and steady is key here. There is no race to win, there are no prizes you get for being the best at a pose. These exercises for lower back pain relief are for life long health, treat them that way and you will feel the results soon enough.
First, find a comfortable spot in your home where you have plenty of room to move about freely. Next, take a few deep breath’s and relax, imagine how much better you will feel after you exercise and hold onto that while you take those breaths.
3 Gentle Exercises for Lower Back Pain
The child’s pose: This is my favorite exercise for my lower back pain because it’s gentle and it’s the easiest to perform no matter where I am at. Simply get on your knees, sit your bottom on top of the heels of your feet and now lean forward, extending your hands out on the floor in front of you, with your head up looking forward, slowly reach as far as you can forward. As soon as you feel the tightness in your back, STOP. Slowly rest into this stretch and breath, feel into that pain and send your breath there, it helps. If the pain intensifies, simply stop and take a few deep breaths, walk around a bit and when/if you are ready to do it again, try it again. The key here is to always listen to your body, if it’s telling you to stop, then it’s that simple, stop! However, if you are comfortable in this pose, work daily on increasing the time spent here from 2 minutes to 7 minutes. Then onto the next exercise.
Head to knee: This is another one of the three exercises for lower back pain that opens up and relaxes your lower back. You can see by the picture that the goal here is keep one leg straight and flat on the ground, while the other foot of the opposite leg rests on your inner thigh. Once in position you want to lean forward, bringing your head to your knee. When you first start these exercises, you won’t be able to fully get into the stretch, this is ok. With time you will get there and your back and body will be much happier. Again, remember to listen to your body. Your body knows how much is good for you.
The Forward Bend: You can do this standing or sitting. I know you know how to do this, we have all had to do this at some point, even if we are just bending over to tie our shoes. What is important to remember here is that even if you can’t keep your legs from bending, to stick with the stretch. Even if you can’t touch the floor, keep with the stretch, always listening, feeling what your body is allowing you to do. I can’t touch the floor in this pose, but what I do is bend over and allow my arms to hang, I take a few deep breaths and I try to remain here for 5-10 minutes.
These exercises for lower back pain are simple, but don’t let that fool you.
I know these exercises for lower back pain sound very simple and that they are. But, your willingness to follow through and do these on a daily basis is the ultimate challenge. Stick with just these 3 to begin with and you will create a solid foundation for a healthier back. The best part is you can use any one of these when your are experiencing lower back pain for instant relief.
For even more exercises for lower back pain relief, click here.
As always, with any exercise routine you decide to start, you should always consult with your doctor as we all have different situations that require different needs. Stay positive, stay consistent, do these exercises for lower back pain!
