What exercises can support your lower backpain?
Low back pain is one of the most common issues we see at The Physiotherapy Place. A large percentage of people will experience low back pain at some point in their lives. The majority of low back pain is not serious but it can have a big impact on people’s lives.
It can occur for several reasons, although there are times it is not obvious what the cause is.
Common reasons for back pain include:
Soft tissue sprains and strains
Disc and joint issues
Muscle imbalances/tightness
Overuse
Sedentary work (sitting at a desk for long periods)
One of the best things to do when you have low back pain is to keep the back moving within a comfortable range. Doing gentle stretches should bring more flexibility and mobility into the spine which will help ease pain.
Low back pain exercises explained:
Below are some of the most common exercises we give to patients with low back pain. We would recommend trying to do these exercises twice a day.
Exercise 1 – Knee Hugs
Lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor/bed, hug one knee up to your chest holding for around 30 seconds. You should feel a gentle stretch in your lower back and hip. Repeat this 2-3 times on each leg. You can also hug both knees up together.
Exercise 2 - Knee Rolls
Lying on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor/bed, keep the knees and feet together as you gently let your knees drop to one side. Try to keep your shoulders and upper back flat on the floor/bed. Only go to a point where you are feeling a stretch at the lower back and hip, don’t push into pain. You can either hold this as a stretch for around 30 seconds, 2-3 times on each side, or you can gently rock the knees back and forth.
Exercise 3 - Child’s Pose
Start on your hands on knees. Keep your feet together and widen your knees apart. Drop your buttocks back onto your heels. Stretch your hands forwards so that your arms are straight out in front of you. Allow your head to drop towards the floor. You will feel this stretch through your back and upper arms. Hold this for around 30 seconds and repeat 2-3 times. You can move your hands to the side if you want to stretch one side more. For example, to stretch your left side, move both hands off to the right, placing your left hand on top of the right hand.
Exercise 4 - Cat & Cow
Start on your hands and knees with your back flat. Arch your back up towards the ceiling, round your shoulders and drop your head down. Next, lift your head up, drop your tummy and push your tail bone up towards the ceiling. Keep your arms straight throughout the exercise. Gently back and forth between the two positions keeping the movement smooth.
Beyond the Exercises
These exercises are the most common ones we give to our patients and are a good starting point if you have pain in your lower back. However, as stated before, there are many causes of back pain and some people may find that these exercises don’t help. If you have tried these exercises and are still having problems then one of our physio’s can have a look and get you on the path to recovery.
Contact us to book an appointment and let us help keep you moving and keep you smiling :)
Treatments we use for back pain include:
Joint mobilisations
Passive stretching
Massage
Acupuncture/Dry Needling/Gunn IMS - for pain relief and reducing muscle spasm
Individual exercise programmes including stretching and strengthening components
Advice and education
A combination of these treatments will be used with an aim of reducing pain and tightness, helping to get you back to normal daily function as soon as possible. Once you are better, we will advise you on things to do to help reduce the risk of future episodes.
You can read a lot more about our treatment techniques HERE and contact us directly with any queries you may have on the following email: info@thephysiotherapyplace.com
Thank you for reading and as always, stay healthy!