A good physical therapy program can be essential to getting your lower back feeling better. This is a comprehensive program that I go over with my clients to hope them strengthen, mobilize, and improve range of motion of the lower back. Do this routine for 3-4 weeks every other day, and you can expect to see a difference in how your body feels! Let's get started!
Why Does My Back Hurt?
Your back can hurt for many reasons and the root cause can be hard to find. I see clients that have sciatica, degeneration, and more in their back. All of them get better and we are able to do this without finding the exact cause. Back pain, especially chronic pain, is often a representation of habits of health. For example, how much do you move, what do you do to improve your body?
Only 10% of back pain can be identified with an image such as MRI or X-ray. You may feel like you need one but often you don't. You are better off wih a physical examination, and this is clear in the literature.
The short answer is that back pain is caused by many factors and if we knew what caused everyone's back pain, no one would suffer from back pain.
Ideally, taking what you feel combined with how you move will shed light on the best places to start when you suffering from back pain.
Can Lower Back Pain Be Fixed With Exercise?
I have seen exercise fix back pain many times in my caree and other times not. It never makes any of my clients worse but they can feel like it's harmful at times withour the right education. It's about the write amount at the right time.
Acutely, best rest may be appropriate. This is usually only one day. When you look at the evidence the top treatments for back pain are education and exercise. Yes, medication, physical therapy, chiropractic, and acupuncture have their place but aren't needed in many cases. When pain lingers for more than 3-4 weeks or so, then they can be effective.
If I had boil down lower back pain and exercise it's about dosage.
Just like medication if you take too much you can overdose it. If you don't do enough, you won't have the change you are looking for. To add another layer to it, there are some exercises that should be avoided with some conditions. It's complicated but simple at the same time.
Most often, stretching an mobility exercises can really help lower back pain.
12 Effective Physical Therapy Exercises For Lower Back Pain You Can Do in the Comfort of Your Home!
Each of the exercises listed below are great for lower back pain. The essential thing for you to know is that you need to listen to your body! If you begin doing some of the exercises and you feel pain, stop. Only go through the range of motion until you feel a bit of mild discomfort. Flirt with the discomfort, do not cause pain! During this routine, just listen to your body and stop if you need to stop. Scale back the exercise if you need to. Any movement is good for you, so take your time and do what feels good for you! Let's get started.
- Lumbar Rotation
- Posterior Tilting
- Bridges
- Glute Stretch with a Pulse
- Single Leg Bridge
- Prayer Stretch
- Cat Camel
- Thread the Needle
- Table Top
- Bird Dog
- Downward Dog to Up Dog
- Windmills
Lumbar Rotation
Start on your back for this exercise. You will then put your feet on the ground and rock your knees side to side. How far you go on this stretch is based on how you feel, so listen to your body. Do about 20 of these and you will feel your back loosen up.
Posterior Tilting
This exercise will be in the same position as the previous one. This works on flexion and extension of the back. You are going to flatten your back onto the ground and then increasing the space between the ground and your back. This will work on range of motion and your motor control. Do this for 20 reps.
Bridges
In the same position, you are going to drive through with your heels and bring your hips up. Squeeze your glutes at the top of the stretch. Do 20 reps of this.
Glute Stretch
Bring your knees to your chest, and hold onto one knee with your hands. Let the other one extend back onto the floor. Pull the knee that you are holding to the opposite side of your body. This stretch should be felt in your glute, not in your groin. So if you feel pain in your groin, stop. Relax and then try again. Do this for 10 reps.
Single Leg Bridge
This exercise is a little more difficult. You are going to get in the same position you did earlier with the regular bridges. This time, put one leg in the air and the other will be on the ground driving through the heel to get those hips up. do this for about 20 reps. If this is too difficult, no worries! Go back to the regular bridging and you will work your way up to the single leg.
Prayer Stretch
Now we are going to move into a different position. Get on your hands and knees and you are going to place your hands out in front of you, and sit your butt back on your feet. This is such a good stretch for your lower back. Hold the stretch for 10 seconds, release, and then go again.
Cat Camel
Up on your hands and knees, you are going to tuck your pelvis in and then poke your butt out. This is going to help with flexion and extension of your lower back. Do this for about 12 reps.
Thread the Needle
In the same position, take one arm and thread it through the other. Then you are going to reach back around and try to touch the ceiling. The perfect amount of reps of these is based on you and your body! I usually recommend doing this for about 10 reps on each side.
Table Top
For this, start on your hands and knees and then tuck your toes in, and then push up and lift your body off the ground. This is going to help with that strengthening. Tighten your core and hold this for 30 seconds or as long as you can. This is a difficult one as well. So if you are unable to do this, do not get discouraged! Just move on to the next one.
Bird Dog
This is going to help with your trunk strengthening. On your hands and knees, stretch your right arm out and your left leg out. Then switch to the other side. As you are doing this, be sure to squeeze your glutes. If you cannot stretch your arms and legs out too far, that is okay! Do as much as you can and do what feels good to your body! I usually say do 10 reps of this movement.
Downward Dog to Upward Dog
This is a mobility exercise. You are going to start in a plank position and then move up in to an upward dog. Here, pedal your feet for about 10 reps. Then you will go down into a downward dog and stretch out that back. This helps with the extension of the spine. Make sure to keep your hips relaxed and enjoy that nice stretch for about 5 reps.
Windmills
The last movement will be on your back again. Grab one knee and bend it over your opposite leg. Then reach to the side. You will be able to feel a great stretch in your lower back! Do this for about 5 reps.
If you stay consistent and do these 12 exercises every other day for 3 to 4 weeks, I guarantee that you will be able to see a difference in your range of motion, mobility, and strength. This routine is amazing to get rid of lower back stickiness!
In conclusion, implementing a structured physical therapy program cn help tackle back pain. We may no know the exact cause or reason for the discomfort but that doesn't mean you can't improve. Try some of my favorite exercises and let me know what you think!
Reference:
- Oliveira CB, Maher CG, Pinto RZ, Traeger AC, Lin CC, Chenot JF, van Tulder M, Koes BW. Clinical practice guidelines for the management of non-specific low back pain in primary care: an updated overview. Eur Spine J. 2018 Nov;27(11):2791-2803. doi: 10.1007/s00586-018-5673-2. Epub 2018 Jul 3. PMID: 29971708.
