Exercises for Lower Back Pain

The following exercises are what I have used in the past with a herniated disk. It doesn’t necessarily mean they will work for you. If any exercise causes pain, stop doing it immediately.

The exercises are to be done in order:

Pelvic Tilts: Lying flat on your back, with knees bent at 90 degrees and feet on the ground. Slowly tighten your stomach for 5-6 seconds before relaxing. You should be thinking about pushing your back into the ground as you tilt your hips towards you. After the 5-6 seconds, slowly return to a natural arch in your back. Keep this slow, doing 8 to 10 repetitions.

Bridging: After your pelvic tilts, we are going to try some bridging. Start from the same position as the pelvic tilts, tighten up your stomach muscles and try to push your lower back into the floor. From there, slowly raise your hips up off the ground, contract your core muscles. This should feel like you are peeling your back off the floor, one vertebrae at a time. Hold for 5 seconds and slowly lower your hips, one vertebrae at a time until your back is on the ground and you return to the natural lower arch in your back.

If the pain is recent, it is normal not to be able to lift your hips far off the floor. Over time, this range of motion should increase.

After this, we are going to try a deadbug exercise variation:

This time, bend your knees at 90 degrees with your feet off the ground. Your lower back should be pushed into the floor and have contact with the floor throughout this entire exercise. While keeping the knee bent at 90 degrees, try to touch the ground with one of your heels. The other leg stays bent. As soon as you feel your lower back coming up off the ground, stop and return to the starting position.

Over time, if this exercise becomes easier, try to straighten your leg as you reach out. Once again, as soon as your lower back starts to come off the ground, return to the starting position.

Cat and Camel Exercises: On your hands and knees in a “table” position, hunch your spine slowly up as if you are doing it vertebrae by vertebrae until you’re hunched up and then sink your back down slowly until your back is bent down. Repeat slowly 6-8 times.

After you have done 6-8 reps, with your lower back arched as much as you can, slowly walk your hands over to one side and back to the starting position. Repeat to the other side and do this 4-5 times on each side.

These are the main exercises I have used in the past but some stretching might help alleviate the stiffness:

Stretches
A few great exercises include:
1. Back Flexion Stretch. Lying on your back, legs bent at a 90 degree angle with feet on the ground. Grab behind the knees and pull your knees into your body.

Progression 1a: Knee to Chest Stretch. Same as above except pull one leg into your body and keep the other foot on the ground.

Progression 1b: A Supine Piriformis Stretch. Same as above, except cross your legs at the knee (like you would sitting on a chair) and pull the bottom leg into your body.

Do Stretches for your quadriceps (front of your legs) and hamstrings (back of your legs) as well.

2. Quad stretch: Lie on your side, reach towards the foot of your leg on top and bend your knee back and pull your foot towards your body while pushing your hips forward. Hold for 15- 20 seconds and repeat for the other side.

3. Hamstrings Stretch: Step forward and then lean back on the back leg as if you are sitting back into a chair, bending that back knee and keeping the front leg straight.