How to relieve lower back pain?
Low back or low back pain is one of the most common types of back pain. It is estimated that up to 70 percent of adults have experienced low back pain at some point in their lives. (1)
One of its most common causes is poor movement when exercising, poor posture when sitting, sleeping, and leading a sedentary lifestyle.
Strengthening your lower back muscles is one of the best ways to prevent low back pain. By toning the powers of the lower back, there is less risk of injury and curvatures of the spine.
Stretching exercises can relieve tension between the vertebrae of the spine and prevent low back pain in the long term. (2) The best exercises and stretches to activate and strengthen the lower back muscles are described below.
Exercises and stretches for low back pain
Carrying out the following exercise routine can relieve lower back pain and stretch the lower spine. With the execution of these exercises’ correct and regular technique, the deep muscles of the lower area of the spine are strengthened. Which improves posture and helps prevent lower back pain in adulthood. The best exercises and stretches for low back pain are:
Sphinx exercise lying on your stomach, tighten your abs, glutes, and thighs. Stretch your legs back. With the tension of the back muscles (not the hands), lift the body a few inches up. Try bringing your shoulder blades together and opening your chest. Perform several deep inhale-exhale cycles.
- Cat-back exercise
You are starting position on all fours. With inspiration, slowly and carefully curve your spine upward, bringing your chest forward and looking straight ahead. With the involvement of the lower back muscles, gently bend the spine upwards.
- Hunting dog exercise
From a position on all fours (back straight and gaze down), extend your arm forward without changing the status of your pelvis and shoulders. Then stretch the opposite leg back. Hold this position for 10-20 seconds. This is one of the best static exercises for low back pain.
- Standing stretches
Starting position: standing, arms along the body, tailbone slightly inward. With inhalation, raise your hands. As you exhale, lower your arms forward and down. The movement should start from the head, not from the lower back. Stretch your arms toward the floor, avoiding excess tension on your neck.
- Stretches on your back
Lying on your back, pull your left foot toward your chest. Simultaneously press the stomach inward. Take two to three full breaths using your inner abs as much as possible. Slowly switch your legs, making sure your lower back doesn’t lift off the ground.
- Exercises with Foam Roller
The Foam Roller exercises are ideal for relieving back pain. This is because they allow the mobility of the fasciae. Place the roller at the level of the shoulder blades, and place your hands behind your head. As you exhale, slowly lower your shoulders, feeling your abdominal muscles stretch.
Contraindications
It should be noted that performing yoga or exercises to relieve low back pain has several contraindications. They can be dangerous if you have had mechanical trauma to your spine in the past, especially in the case of surgery. Also, such exercises are prohibited for people with a herniated disc, vertebral, and other similar diseases.
If the pain in the lower back is chronic (does not go away even after 3-4 weeks) or characterized by severe acute pain (so-called “lumbago”), we recommend that you consult a meteorologist for personal advice.
Lower back pain – when should I go to the doctor?
- Sharp electrical pain
- Numbness
- Leg cramps
- Stomach aches
Pre-exercise tips to strengthen the lower back
Before strengthening the lower back, you need to do a light workout with low-impact cardio. With 5-10 minutes of walking, elliptical or static exercises for the core, such as the abdominal plan, is enough. This will achieve the warm-up of the middle zone and the lower back muscles.
The execution of exercises for the lower back is intended to strengthen strength and increase the tone of the abdominal and back muscles. By activating the abdominal muscles, the opposing muscles relax.
It is important not to perform the exercises mechanically and continuously. The ideal is to alternate between 30 and 40 seconds of movement and 30 seconds of rest, with full tension and technique to work the muscles.
The best time to exercise is at the end of the workday or the morning. There should be no stress or nervousness to relax the muscles and relieve low back pain.
Why does the lower back hurt?
It is essential to remember that lower back pain can be caused not by problems from lack of exercise. But for rheumatoid arthritis, Reiter’s syndrome, urolithiasis, and other diseases related to the cervical back.
Some infectious diseases (tuberculosis, brucellosis, fungal infections, epidural abscess) cause severe pain in the lower back.
Therapeutic exercises and yoga exercises are only helpful to relieve back pain when the cause of the problem is pain from tension in the muscles or compression of the back vertebrae.
Treatments with non-steroidal drugs, creams, and chiropractic massages are the most indicated to relieve other types of low back pain.
Stretching and yoga exercises are best suited to relieve low back pain. Due to the activation of the abdominal area and the stretching of the antagonist’s muscles, they allow the lumbar region to be decompressed. Acute and chronic back pain or back pain of genetic origin should be treated with other treatments. In these cases, stretching exercises are contraindicated.
