10 Exercises to Prevent and Reduce Lower Back Pain
Pain in the lower back area is a common
phenomenon among many adults due to poor posture over the years and
muscle weakness as part of the body's natural aging process.
Unfortunately, back pain can often be so severe that it can prevent a
person from performing various basic functions and can significantly
impair quality of life. The good news is that if you suffer from
frequent pain in this area, you do not have to put up with your "bitter
destiny," and with these 10 simple exercises that you can do at home,
you can reduce and even avoid the pain and regain your freedom.
1. Eccentric Straight Leg Raise
The straight leg raise works mainly on the hip muscles and strengthens
the lower abdominal muscles. Regular repetition of this exercise during
the week will help you improve posture and reduce the strain on your
hips.
How to:
1. Lie on your back with your legs straight and your hands at your
waist.
2. Tighten your abdominal muscles and lift your right leg to your chest
area until you feel a slight stretch. While lifting, be sure to remove
the air from your lungs and stabilize the opposite leg on the floor to
provide your body with the necessary support.
3. After about 2-3 seconds, return to the starting position while
inhaling, and then lift the opposite leg and repeat the same movement
and breathing pattern.
4. The exercise can be repeated up to 10 times for each side.
2. Cat and Camel
Although we use our pelvic muscles during everyday life, their
flexibility wanes over the years, resulting in frequent pain in the
lower back. With the "Cat and Camel" exercise, you can gently stretch
the area and extend the range of these muscles gradually and safely.
How to:
1. Crouch on the floor and keep your knees bent, your hands and back
straight. It is recommended to perform the exercise on a soft surface,
such as a carpet, to ease the load on the knees.
2. Take a deep breath and bend your head between your arms until you can
see your knees. Bend your back as you move so that you feel a slight
stretch in the center.
3. When the bending is over, exhale and return to the starting position.
Keep your head straight so that your face is in a straight line with
your back.
4. This exercise should be repeated 10 times in total.
3. Sit Backs
Many times, back pain occurs in the morning when getting up from bed or
after sitting in a chair for a long time. In order to prevent the
appearance of these pains and to reduce their intensity, it is
recommended to perform the sit back exercise that strengthens the lower
back and core muscles and helps improve overall posture.
How to:
1. Sit on a soft surface with your knees slightly bent, your back
straight and your arms folded around your chest.
2. Imagine that behind you there is a backrest supporting your back, and
slowly as you exhale, lean back and widen the bending of your knees to
keep the starting position steady. It is recommended that you don’t
strain your back too much, and if you feel that the exercise is
upsetting your balance, try to reduce how far you're bending backward.
3. Take a deep breath, return to the starting position and perform the
exercise 9 more times.
4. Bent Knee Raise
The bent knee raise is a simple exercise that can be performed even in
bed which can prevent the imbalance created over the years between
different muscle groups in the pelvis and lower back, which causes the
recurrence of pain in these areas.
How to:
1. Lie on your back with your hands steady on the ground and your knees
bent.
2. Squeeze your abdominal muscles, take a deep breath, exhale, and lift
your knees up to your chest area. Be sure to lift one leg and then the
other.
3. Stay in this position for 5 seconds and return your feet to the floor
in the order opposite to lifting them.
4. The exercise should be repeated 10 times in total.
5. Hip flexion
The hip flexion exercise helps restore flexibility to the lower back
muscles and the front thighs. The positive effects of this exercise can
be felt in a wide variety of activities, such as lifting an object from
the floor and hanging laundry that may have been an issue till now.
How to exercise:
1. Bend on the floor with your hands and knees firmly on the ground and
your back upright.
2. Now, take a deep breath, exhale and bend your knees gradually so that
your foot almost touches your buttocks. Be sure to keep your hands in
place to create an effective stretch to the back.
3. This exercise should be repeated up to 10 consecutive times.
6. Bridging
Bridging works to strengthen the hip joint muscles located at the back
of the thighs and buttocks and helps to reduce the load on the
sacroiliac joint that connects the spine to the pelvis. In addition,
this exercise stretches the spine and neck and improves posture.
How to:
1. Lie on a soft surface while keeping your back straight, your knees
bent, and your hands steady on the ground.
2. Now, take a deep breath and exhale, then lift your buttocks into the
air so that your hips and abdomen create a straight line, and wait in
this position for approximately 3 seconds.
3. Return to the starting position and repeat the exercise 9 more times.
7. Leg Extensions
In addition to the bridging exercise, leg extensions also strengthen the
core and buttock muscles and extend the range of motion and flexibility
of the lower back area. The advantages of this exercise can be felt in a
variety of daily activities that require sharp movements to the sides.
How to:
1. Get into a position where your palms and knees are placed on the
floor. It is recommended to perform the exercise on a soft surface to
avoid overloading the knees.
2. Now, lift one leg and straighten it as far as possible so that it
creates a straight line with your back. Start the exercise with a deep
inhale and exhale, making sure to maintain a stable posture.
3. Repeat this extension 10 times for each leg.
8. Curl Ups
This exercise is a milder and healthier version of classic sit-ups and
will allow you to strengthen the core muscles in the abdomen almost
without creating additional loads on the spine. The exercise is
recommended to perform on a soft but not too soft a surface, such as a
bed mattress, to maintain proper posture while performing it.
How to:
1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your arms crossed on your
chest area.
2. Squeeze your abdominal muscles, take a deep breath, exhale and lift
your head along with your shoulders so you can see the ends of your
knees.
3. Wait for 2-3 seconds, return to the starting position and repeat the
exercise 9 more times.
9. Back Extension
Erector muscles are muscles located along the spine, which are
responsible for our ability to straighten the back and maintain proper
posture. In order to avoid the recurrence of back pain in general and in
the lower back in particular, it is important to strengthen these
muscles with a variety of different exercises, including back
extensions.
How to:
1. Lie on your stomach with your hands spread out, preferably on a soft
surface.
2. Take a deep breath, exhale, and with the support of your hands raise
your torso so that only your lower abdomen remains on the ground.
3. Stay in this position for about 2 seconds, return to the starting
position and repeat the exercise 9 more times.
10. Pelvic tilt
The pelvic tilt exercise is not made up of multiple movements, but its
effect on the lower back area is great because it can strengthen the
muscles of the buttocks, pelvic floor, and pelvis. In a short time, you
will feel how the load on this part of the body is reduced and you’ll
enjoy a greater range of movement in a variety of actions throughout
your daily life.
How to exercise:
1. Lie on your back with your stomach slightly convex, your knees bent
and your hands folded around your chest area.
2. Take a deep breath, contract your abdominal muscles, exhale and start
pressing the lower back area against the surface on which you are
lying.
3. Wait for 2-3 seconds, return to the starting position for another 2
seconds, and repeat the exercise again.
4. The exercise should be repeated 10 times in total.