Exercise for Low Back Pain

Back Stretching Exercise - Extension

This is one of my favourite types of exercise for low back pain. It is very good for reducing stiffness and for pain relief.

stretching exercises

See a video demonstration of this back stretching exercise below:

Level – moderate

Climb onto your hands and knees on the floor or a firm surface
Let your spine sag gently toward the floor (gently, don't let it just drop)
Let it drop as far as you are comfortable
Keep your nose pointing at the same place on the floor - don't rock backwards and forwards
Don't do press ups, so keep your elbows straight
If you find this hard to get the hang of think about ‘sticking your tail out’. I've found that can sometimes help
Make sure that you are stretching your lower back and not just the area between your shoulder blades
Do the stretch slowly and with good control
Get someone to check it for you to make sure you are doing it correctly

This exercise can be paired with this back flexion exercise to increase the amount of flexion or forwards bend in your low back.

This exercise stretches the joints, ligaments and muscles in your lower back
It gets you moving your back and pelvis separate from each other - a problem for many with lower back pain
It also strengthens your stomach muscles.

29-Feb-2008