Low Back Pain- Top 10 Exercises
Back pain can be caused by trauma, muscle imbalances, weakness in important spinal and pelvic stabilizers, repetitive motions, and many more reasons, making low back pain one of the most difficult orthopedic medical diagnoses to overcome.
This list is designed to help chronic and subacute pain levels through strengthening, stabilization and mobility training. Acute pain may require modalities such as heat/cold packs, medications, and rest depending on the severity of pain. Check with a doctor prior to starting any exercise routine.
Due to a large amount of ligaments, muscles, and nerves in the lumbosacral region, low back pain is extremely complicated and often affects multiple systems: osteo (bone) system, muscular system and/or nervous system. Often, low back pain is caused by muscles that are difficult to activate as they are underused and weak as well as there being a lack of coordination between muscles that require to work together to help stabilize the lumbopelvic region to enable proper mobility. The low back and pelvis are major stabilization regions in the body and serve as attachments for the largest muscles in the body.
The following exercises assist with not only strengthening and stabilizing muscles, they also help coordinate muscles to work together to combat pain causing instability. Make sure to breath, exhale during the lifting portion and inhale during the lowering portion of each move.
The following exercises assist with not only strengthening and stabilizing muscles, they also help coordinate muscles to work together to combat pain causing instability. Make sure to breath, exhale during the lifting portion and inhale during the lowering portion of each move.
1) Bridging: coordinating two underused muscle groups, the glutes and abdominals, to assist in a functional movement that resembles a sit to stand.
2) Hollow Hold: incorporates coordinating abdominals superficial and deep, often difficult to activate. Regressions include 6” lower extremity hold and partial upper body sit up hold. Take deep inhalations and exhalations. Squeeze your lower back into the floor.
3) Sidelying Hip Abduction- a great calisthenic and old school move. The “Jane Fonda” AKA side raises is a great way to fire the glute medius, a small pelvic stabilizer often overlooked when performing the heavier, full body moves.
4) Banded Standing Hip Extension: another glute medius move that will reduce low back pain but firing the glute medius and glute maximus together helps fire multiple pelvic stabilizers to reduce excessive pressure on the small low back muscles and using the larger hip muscles.
5) Cat/Cow: starting in the tabletop position, this exercise is a great spinal mobilizer, engages the abs, and releases low back and sciatic pain, and neck tension.
6) Supine Lumbar Twist: Another mobilization technique, by maintaining your shoulder blades firmly on the floor and bringing knees to 90 degrees and rotating to one side you are promoting mobility and stretching for mid back paraspinals down to the lumbopelvic region.
7) Bird Dogs: This exercise works on pelvic stabilization while engaging the core with reciprocal movement of the upper and lower limbs.
8) DeadBugs: Stabilization exercise and coordination between opposite extremities while maintaining a neutral spine.
9) Pelvic Tilts: This exercise helps to strengthen the lower abdominals, the glutes, and helps to maintain balance at the hips. Using your hands on your hips, squeeze your stomach and roll the pelvis backwards.
10): Superman: A great exercise that works the entirety of the posterior chain, meaning it enhances posture, as it fires upper/mid back and lumbar paraspinals/glutes. This isometric exercise helps fire several muscles/areas of the body together that are often ignored and are not seen in a mirror.
It is vital to understand limitations and know which causes pain, bending and/or extending the spine. Typically with back pain, you want to make sure you follow patterns that will reduce pain, in other words, if pain occurs more when bending you want to use exercises that stretch, extend the spine in a pain free range, and strengthening the hips/pelvic stabilizers and spine/core with isometrics.