Best Stretches For Lower Back Pain
Did you know that lower back pain is one of the most common types of pain in the world? If you’re sitting at a desk all day like a lot of us are, your lower back probably hurts as well. This can happen because our bodies aren’t designed to sit for so long without movement. Luckily, there are plenty of stretches you can do right at your desk to help ease that pain and make your day more comfortable (no matter what kind of job you have). Here are five great stretches that will help with lower back pain:
Cat-Cow Stretch
Starting on your hands and knees, round your back like you’re curling up into a ball. Hold for 30 seconds. Then arch your back and look up toward the ceiling, stretching out as far as possible.
This stretch helps improve flexibility in both the lower and upper back regions, which can help prevent pain from occurring there in the future. It also stretches out tight hip flexors (the muscles that run along each side of your abdominal area) that are often stiff due to sitting all day at work or driving long distances without moving around much.
Child’s Pose Stretch
Child’s Pose is a resting pose that helps to stretch the lower back, hips and legs.
Kneel on the floor with your feet about hip-width apart and knees bent at about 90 degrees.
Lower yourself down onto your hands with arms straight in front of you, palms on the floor and fingers pointing forward (or slightly turned out). Don’t let your head touch down; rest it on top of a rolled up towel or blanket if necessary to keep from lying flat against the ground.
Frog Pose Stretch
Start on all fours, with knees under hips and hands slightly forward of shoulders.
Bend your right knee and place it on the floor, directly below your hip joint; keep left leg straight so that shin is parallel to floor and heel is in line with second toe (or as close as possible). Lift torso up until torso and thigh form a 90-degree angle; if necessary, prop up on forearms instead of hands for balance or comfort.
Seated Twist Stretch
Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you. Place your right ankle over your left knee and then twist to the right, bringing both hands behind you to grasp either side of the knee or calf. Hold for 30 seconds, then repeat on the other side.
These stretches are good for people who sit a lot:
Back pain is one of the most common reasons for people to seek medical attention. If you’re suffering from lower back pain, these stretches will help relieve some of the tension in your muscles and joints.
Hamstring stretch: This stretch is good for people who sit a lot or stand upright for long periods of time, as it helps relieve tension in the hamstrings (the muscles on either side of your thighs). To do this stretch: Sit on a chair with both feet flat on floor in front of you. Lean forward until there’s resistance in your hamstrings; hold for 30 seconds and repeat three times per day.
Quadriceps stretch: This stretch also targets tight quadriceps (the large muscle group at the front of each thigh), which can contribute to lower back pain if they’re tense enough to pull on nearby structures such as nerves or ligaments.* To perform this exercise: Stand facing away from something solid like a wall or doorframe; place one foot behind you with toes pointing up toward sky; slowly bend knee until hip angle matches 90 degrees; hold position for 20 seconds before switching sides.
If you’re suffering from lower back pain, it’s important to stretch regularly. These five stretches are great for people who sit at a desk all day or spend a lot of time driving in cars.
And because we know that this is such a significant problem for so many people, Body Balance Health and Wellness have created a Lower Back Series that dives in to exercises specifically formulated to strengthen your lower back. You can find it here.
We want to help those who suffer from lower back pain gain freedom back in their lives by making these exercises more accessible, straightforward to use and easily implemented into their daily lives.
