5 Easy Stretches for Low-Back Pain Relief
A common issue with most of my students is low back pain.
I can usually tell this is an issue they face—before they even tell me!—by the way they walk and hold themselves.
Some of my students say that they are so used to living with the pain day to day—it almost seems normal to them. But the pain restricts the way they move through daily life.
Some of my students tell me that they have tried everything to ease the pain: chiropractic, dry needling, physical therapy, acupuncture, massage, etc. In some cases, they have found relief, but the pain is never totally gone.
Low back pain can come from many sources:
>> Are you leaning forward into your computer?
>> What kind of mattress do you sleep on?
>> How much time do you spend sitting in a day?
All of these can contribute to low back pain.
But there is hope!
And that hope is Assisted Stretching.
I used to have low back pain, but now I don’t: it’s completely gone!
What happened? I stretch every day!
When we stretch, we decompress the spine, taking the pressure out of the discs and relieving pain.
Taking time to stretch daily is worth every minute.
Here are 5 easy stretches for low-back pain relief you can do every day:
1. Chair Side Body Stretch
This stretch lifts your torso, relieving your low back.
1. Sit back in an armless chair with legs apart and your feet firmly planted on the ground.
2. Lean to one side, holding your arm over your ear (not in front of you—keep it directly over your ear) as you drop into your side. (The weight of your arm facilitates the stretch.)
3. Hold the stretch for 5 seconds.
4. Reverse the stretch to the other side.
Repeat the stretch on your left and right sides 5 times each.
2. Chair Torso Twist
This stretch opens up the lumbar spine.
1. Sit back in an armless chair with legs apart and your feet firmly planted on the ground.
2. Place one hand at the center of the chair. Place the other hand at the back of the chair.
3. Hold onto the chair while twisting your shoulders toward the back of the chair.
4. Hold the stretch for 5 seconds.
5. Reverse the stretch to the other side.
6. Repeat the stretch on your left and right sides 5 times each.
3. Kitchen Sink Stretch
This stretch elongates your spine and decompresses your low back.
1. Hold onto the kitchen/bath sink with both hands.
2. Step back, arms-length away from sink.
3. Pull away and drop your hips and head between elbows.
4. Keep a tiny bend in your knees while you do this.
5. Hold stretch for 10 - 15 seconds.
6. Release yourself from the stretch, and then repeat the stretch.
4. Feet Up the Wall Stretch
The weight of your legs pushes your pelvis down, taking the pressure out of your low back.
1. Have a seat with the side of your body as close to the wall as possible.
2. Swing your legs so that your legs are straight up the wall, with your bottom as close as you can to the wall.
3. Hold the stretch as long as is comfortable. You can hang out here! Watch tv, listen to a podcast, give your body break.
5. Wall Feet-to-Side Stretch
By twisting out your torso, you provide relief to the low back.
1. Have a seat with the side of your body as close to the wall as possible.
2. Swing your torso so that your legs are straight up the wall and you are lying on your back, with your bottom as close as possible to the wall.
3. Bend your knees and drop them to the floor on one side. Your opposite hip will rise.
4. Extend your legs straight out, away from your hip.
5. Hold this stretch for 10-15 seconds.
6. Repeat on the opposite side of your body.