LOWER BACK PAIN STRETCHES - WHICH ONES WORK BEST?
Tight muscles are the cause, or at least part of the cause of back pain in the majority of back pain sufferers. We’ve talked about all the things that can cause muscles to tighten. Now it’s time to go over some of the best lower back pain stretches that you can do at home. To get a copy of the best home program to permanently CORRECT what is causing your pain visit the Lose The Back Pain System. This program was developed by a team of doctors, physical therapists, chiropractors, massage therapists, and personal trainers, and shows you the exact exercises and lower back pain stretches that will correct your specific muscle imbalances to get rid of your pain. The Lose The Back Pain System comes with a 100% Money Back Guarantee.
Best Lower Back Pain StretchesTo have a pain free back you need to have flexibility in your back, trunk, leg, and hip muscles. The trunk muscles are the spinal support muscles of the abdomen and back. These muscles will get more flexible if you do the right lower back pain stretches. You don’t need to bulk up like a body builder, but you do need to challenge your muscles more than they are used to.Back pain is so common today that some people begin to think that it is normal. The good news is, it’s amazing how much relief the proper lower back pain stretches can bring to your aching back. For example, your hip flexors are muscles across the front of your hips that tend to get tight if you sit all day. This puts stress on the pelvis and low back and contributes to Low Back Pain. So it is a good idea to release that tension and stretch the hip flexors with lower back pain stretches like the “bridge,” described below. The Bridge To perform this low back stretch, lie on your back with your legs bent and feet on the floor. Push your hips up toward the ceiling while squeezing your buttock muscles (gluteus muscles). The activation of the gluteus muscles sends a signal to the hip flexors to relax and allows them to lengthen. Push your hips up and hold for one to five seconds and come down. Do as many repetitions as it takes to feel tired. Hamstring Stretch The hamstring muscle (the back of your thigh) also tends to get short with a lot of sitting.Many people suffer with tight hamstrings. This will make you prone to bad tears and also limit sporting or recreational activity. Tight hamstrings can also be responsible for postural problems and other back problems as they will tend to pull the pelvis out of normal position. This is a muscle you have probably seen being stretched at track meets or almost any sporting event. When you see an athlete standing with one leg up on a hurdle or bench, leaning forward, and maybe grabbing onto the raised foot, they are stretching their hamstring. This muscle can be stretched standing or sitting. When sitting, it can be stretched one leg at a time or both legs together. If you sit on the floor with both legs straight out in front of you, and stretch your trunk forward, you are stretching your hamstrings. Hug yourself This is one of the simplest of the lower back pain stretches. You may be surprised how much it will help you. Lie on your back and pull your legs up to your body. Hug your knees and pull them tightly to your body while pushing your back down into the carpet. You can even do a little rocking in this position. This simple stretch of the low back was the last stretch we did to end the exercise portion of karate class. For 10 years I looked forward to this stretch because it felt so good.
The piriformis muscle is found in the buttock underneath the bigger gluteus maximus muscle. The piriformis muscle often irritates the sciatic nerve, causing pain in the buttocks that can radiate down the leg. This condition is called piriformis syndrome, and is the cause of a lot of pain that medical doctors have trouble diagnosing or treating effectively. Many of my patients with sciatic pain told me that this low back pain stretch brought them fast relief. Start by lying flat on your back and slide both feet up toward your buttock so that the knees are bent comfortably with the feet flat on the floor. Bring up the painful leg and cross it over your other knee. Clasp both hands around the thigh and draw the leg toward your chest. You will feel a stretch of the piriformis. When you are stretching the right piriformis, you cross the right leg over the top of the left knee. Your left hand grabs around the outside of the left thigh and the right hand goes between both legs to grab the other hand. As you pull the left thigh up toward the chest, you will feel a stretch in the right piriformis. If this sounds confusing you can type “piriformis stretch” into Google and short videos will be there for you to watch.This really is a simple stretch that can be very effective at hip and leg pain relief. It is well worth learning. The cobra To perform this low back pain stretch, lie on your stomach with your hands flat on the floor at shoulder height and your head back (taking care not to overextend your neck). Slowly arch your spine while pushing up and straightening your arms. Hold for 5 seconds, and then descend. Do the exercise 5 times. Upper Back Extension Stretch Similar to the cobra but without hands on the floor. Lie face down on the floor. Arms can be by your sides or straight out above your head. Gently lift your upper body off the floor without using hands. Keep head in line with trunk, don’t overextend your neck. Hanging stretch This is not one of the specific lower back pain stretches, but this is a great stretch for your shoulders, upper,middle, and lower back muscles. Just find a chin-up bar or something you can hang your body weight from. It allows the spine and vertebrae to stretch into place. Keep breathing, and try hanging for 10-15 seconds. Upper trap stretch Again, you may not think stretching the upper traps should be included with lower back pain stretches, but this can relieve middle and low back pain. Tight upper traps are always seen in combination with weak middle and lower traps. Stretching the tight upper trap will allow for stronger middle and lower traps which will relieve back pain. To perform the exercise, sit comfortably in a chair. Take the right arm and hold the bottom of the chair for stability. With the left arm hold the right side of your head, and gently pull the head away from the stabilizing arm. Hold for 10 seconds, and repeat on the other side. Standing Pectoralis stretch This is not specifically a low back pain exercise or stretch, but it is a big muscle group that if allowed to get short and tight causes all kinds of back pains. If you are standing straight with your hands at your sides and notice your thumbs are turned in, you need the Pectoralis stretch. Stand two feet from the corner of a room. Bring both arms up into the “stick-up” position. Lean body weight onto both hands for 15 seconds. Keep nice straight posture through the neck and back. Feel the stretch in the front of your chest. Repeat 2-3 times. Exercise ball Stretch One of the greatest lower back pain stretches is simply laying on your back on an exercise ball(fitness ball). The exercise ball is one of the best tools for stretching the entire back, and working on core stabilization. Just lying on your back on an exercise ball is a fabulous stretch for many of the muscles that tend to get short. This is also a great mobilization for the vertebrae in the back. With age the spine tends to become stiff, so stretching and mobilizing here can prevent years of unnecessary Upper, Middle, and Lower Back Pain. Remember, short muscles are weak muscles. So for your back to be healthy and pain free, these low back pain stretches are worth their weight in gold. Thank you for your interest in lower back pain stretches and back pain relief. I hope you have learned a few techniques that will bring you the relief you long for. Click on the links below for more effective low back pain relief methods. To your best health, Dr. Cliff
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