5 exercises for Back Pain
What can you do daily to help your back pain? Try these 5 exercises.
Low back pain is one of the most common chronic conditions experienced by people around the world and is a leading contributor to disease burden worldwide 1. Frequently, it is related to either posture or repetitive activities 2. Performing a daily routine of 5 exercises can be helpful in managing back pain – and it takes only 4 minutes! If you are in pain and would like individualised assessment and advice for your back pain, book an appointment now to see one of our experienced Osteopaths.
For desk bound or sedentary workers back pain may be related to the prolonged periods of time spent sitting or standing in front of a computer. For more active jobs, back pain may be caused by repetitive lifting or another high frequency task that you perform throughout the day.
Both of these causes of low back pain – posture and repetitive activities – result in one or a couple of areas of the spine doing most of the work leading to fatigue and strain of the spinal structures, which in turn leads to pain. To learn more about back pain click here.
For sedentary and active workers with back pain, it can help to regularly move the body in different directions to give the overworked areas of the spine a chance to recover.
Try these 5 exercises daily to help manage your back pain.
Please note, if you experience pain while doing any of the following exercises, stop immediately and consult with your health professional. Do not perform these exercises if you have any neurological compression causing pain or numbness/tingling into one or both legs, or if you have not had the cause of your back pain diagnosed by a registered health professional.
Perform 5-10 repetitions of each of the following exercises daily. This takes around 4 minutes.
1. Supine knees side to side:
Lay on your back with your knees bent up and your feet on the floor. Relax your shoulders and place your palms on the floor either side of your body. Gently rock your knees side to side to gently move the lower spine. Start with small movements and slowly increase how far you move your knees to a comfortable, controlled level.
2. Knees to chest:
From the same position lying on your back, grab one knee or underneath your thigh and gently pull your knee to your chest. Continue to rock the knee away and towards your chest to gently move your lower back. Return the foot to the floor and repeat with the other leg. Return the foot to the floor and repeat with both knees at the same time.
3. Seated torso twists:
In a seated position, either on the floor or in a chair, place your hands behind your neck and lift your elbows so they are pointing forwards. Turn your body to the side so that your eyes and elbows are always pointing in the same direction until you feel a stretch between your shoulder blades. Hold that position for a few seconds, then repeat to the other side.
4. Cat cow stretch:
In an all-fours position arch your back so that your chest drops down towards the floor and raise your head to look up towards the ceiling. Take a deep breath in. As you exhale strongly, curl you spine so that your back moves towards the ceiling and drop your head down to look towards the floor.
5. Hip hinge:
In a standing position with your feet about hip width a part, hold a broomstick against your back and stand up tall so that the broomstick is in contact with the back of your head, between your shoulder blades and the back of your pelvis. Bend forward slowly from your hips maintaining contact with the broomstick at all three points. You may need to bend your knees slightly. Return to the standing position maintaining contact with the broomstick.
Back pain stretching routine (video):
Here is a video of the 5 exercise sequence for back pain if you would like to follow along. Please contact us should you have any questions, we hope that this helps.
The advice provided here is general in nature only and is not a substitute for individualised patient care. Please contact us directly to organise a consultation to personalise the best exercise program for you. Click here to Book Now.
References:
1. Maher C, Underwood M, Buchbinder R, Non-specific low back pain. The Lancet, 2017, Vol 389, Issue 10070, Pages 736-747, ISSN 0140-6736, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)30970-9.
2. Nishimura T, Tanaka M, Morikoshi N, Yoshizawa T, Miyachi R. Effect of Interventions for Improving Lumbar Motor Control on Low Back Pain in Sedentary Office Workers: A Randomized Controlled Trials. Phys Ther Res. 2021 Sep 29;24(3):240-248. doi: 10.1298/ptr.E10121. PMID: 35036258; PMCID: PMC8752866.
