Exercises For Lower Back Pain: My Recovery Guide

By Author: Arnav Talpade
Total Articles: 5
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It’s no secret that back pain is a very common ailment of our time. Whether it be the result of sitting at a desk all day, poor posture, a sports injury, or simply wear and tear, back pain is not only debilitating but a major drain on your overall quality of life. Fortunately physiotherapy offers a proven, drug-free way to treat and alleviate your pain. Through targeted exercises and movement patterns designed by a qualified therapist, physiotherapy not only relieves back pain in the short term, but it addresses the underlying reasons behind it and builds a strong, healthy spine for years to come.

Understanding lower back pain prior to starting an exercise programme

Before you begin to implement any of these exercises into your regime, it is important to understand why your back is aching. The lumbar area is made up of the five vertebrae that are situated towards the bottom of your spine. This area supports your body’s weight and facilitates movement in many ways. When your supporting muscles or the tissues between your vertebrae are weakened or stressed the pain is inevitable.

Physiotherapy ...
... works by strengthening these supporting structures of the spine, creating an even distribution of pressure and correcting any imbalances that may be causing pain. While there are exercises which are suitable for most people experiencing lower back pain, it is advisable to consult a physiotherapist before implementing any new routine.

Important: always check with a doctor or physiotherapist before starting any new exercises, especially if your pain is particularly severe or has been present for a long time. Also if the pain radiates down the leg, or is accompanied by numbness or weakness consult professional help straight away.

Physiotherapy Exercises For Lower Back Pain

1. Pelvic tilts

One of the most basic but effective physiotherapy exercises for lower back pain. Gently moves the lumbar spine and the deeper muscles supporting it.

How to do it:Lie on your back and with bent knees. Flatten your lower back against the floor with the tightening of your abdominal muscles. Hold for 5–10 seconds and then release.

Repeat the exercise 10–15 times. This simply movement re-educates neuromuscular control to the lumbar spine.

2. Cat-Cow Stretch

Popularly used in yoga and physiotherapy the cat-cow stretch works to mobilize and mobilize the entire lumbar spine through gentle movement.

How to do it: On all fours place your hands under the shoulder and your knees under the hips. As you breathe in round your lower back towards the floor and stretch the muscles of your abdomen and relax the front of the spine and neck (cow pose). Exhale and round the spine toward the ceiling, and gently tuck the chin toward the chest (cat pose).

Go from one pose to the next slowly 10–12 times. This is an excellent way to loosen up stiff muscles in the morning and will help the symptoms of chronic back pain.

3. Knee-to-Chest Stretch

Designed to stretch the gluteal and erector spinae muscles. Both of these groups of muscles are commonly weak or tight in people who suffer with back pain.

How to do it:Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Using your hands, pull one knee into the chest and hold the position for 20–30 seconds before releasing the leg and doing the same for the opposite leg. For a greater stretch, you can pull both legs towards the chest and hold this position. Physiotherapy research consistently shows benefits of the knee-to-chest stretch and will significantly reduce lumbar nerve tension and improve hip flexibility.

4. Bird-Dog Exercise

A core physiotherapy exercise which enhances spinal control, balance and stability without putting excess pressure onto the spine.

How to do it:Start on all fours with your arms at shoulder-width and legs at hip-width. Whilst maintaining control in your core slowly extend the right arm forward at the same time extending the left leg back behind you. Keeping the spine flat and neutral (avoid dipping the back, twisting the pelvis or rounding the spine), hold the position for five seconds before returning to the starting position. Repeat for the opposite arm and leg.

Complete 8–10 repetitions for each arm/leg combo. The bird-dog is a phenomenal exercise for the deep supporting muscles and will prevent the onset of subsequent back pain.

5. Bridge Exercise

The glute bridge is a great physiotherapy exercise to strengthen the gluteal, lower back extensor and hamstring muscles — all key for good lumbar health.

How to do it: Lie flat on your back with knees bent, and feet flat on the floor hip-width apart. Press through your heels and lift the hips off the floor, until the body is in a straight line from the shoulders to the knees. Hold for 3–5 seconds and then lower slowly.

Complete 12–15 repetitions. Weak glutes are a often the root cause of lower back pain.

6. Child’s Pose

Though it appears simple the child’s pose provides great passive relief for the back by gently stretching and relaxing the muscles along the back extensors. It is also ideal for decompressing the lower spine.

How to do it: Kneel on the floor and sit back on your heels, stretching your arms out along the floor above the head. Let your forehead fall to the ground and relax your entire back. Relax in the pose and breathe deeply for 30–60 seconds. This pose can be a valuable ‘rest’ pose for during more demanding physiotherapy exercise routines.

7. Side-Lying Hip Abduction

Tightness or weakness in the hip abductors will force the lower back to overcompensate when walking and therefore will cause back pain. This exercise is fundamental in physiotherapy treatment.

How to do it:Lie on your side with your body in a straight line. Gently lift the top leg approximately 30–40 cm off the ground whilst keeping the leg straight. Hold for 2 seconds and lower.

Complete 12–15 repetitions on each side. Through regular practice you will greatly reduce the lateral load on the lumbar spine.

Creating a physiotherapy exercise routine

The real benefits of physiotherapy come from regular use. It is recommended that you aim to carry out these exercises 4–5 times per week and when combined with your daily walk, this will make a difference in just 4–6 weeks.

Before embarking on any exercise routine there are some golden rules:

Warm up the muscles

The key here is to prevent the chance of the injury occurring in the first place and warm up your muscles for at least 5 minutes before starting any exercises.

Do the exercises within a pain-free range

The pain should not be excruciating but a mild level of discomfort is acceptable as it simply shows the stretch/exercise is taking effect. If it is painful however then ease off slightly.

It is about the progression

As you get stronger your physio will introduce more difficult exercises into your workout.

When to see a physiotherapist

While the above exercises will help all types of lower back pain professional guidance should always be considered if symptoms don’t improve after six weeks of exercise, if they are becoming progressively worse, or if you are also experiencing pain radiating down the leg, numbness or weakness in the leg or loss of control over the bladder or bowel movements.

A physiotherapist can perform an in-depth evaluation which identifies the root cause of the pain and can create a personalised treatment plan for your specific condition.

Final Conclusion

Lower back pain does not need to rule your life. By completing physiotherapy exercises that are designed for the treatment of back pain regularly and correctly, it can significantly alleviate and often eradicate the symptoms of lower back pain. All the exercises listed above have been designed to strengthen your spine and reduce the strain put upon it while also being simple enough for the average person to perform. Your spine works tirelessly to support you day in and day out. It only makes sense that you reward it with dedicated exercise that will build its strength and resilience.