7 LOWER BACK STRETCHES GUARANTEED TO ALLEVIATE ACHES AND PAINS

Doing a few lower back stretches every day will change your life!

It’s no exaggeration to say that EVERYONE could use more stretching. After so many hours spent sitting down, all of our muscles tense up, knots form, and our joints move less fluidly. Eventually, things can get so tight and inflexible that you wind up at serious risk of injury.

But all of those aches and pains you’re feeling in your lower back can be eliminated with just a few minutes of stretching every day.

Try these lower back stretches, and I guarantee you’ll notice serious progress in your pain level and movement in a matter of weeks!

7 Lower Back Stretches to Try Today

Knee to Chest Stretch – Chiropractors highly recommend this stretch to loosen up your lower back, glutes, and hamstrings—muscles that all end up tight and stiff after long hours of sitting.

Simply lie on your back on the floor (or a Yoga mat) and bring one knee up to your chest to hold for 10-20 seconds. Repeat with the other knee, making sure to breathe deeply while you do.

Lying Knee Twist – This stretch is the perfect “next step” after the Knee to Chest Stretch, seeing as you’re already lying on your back!

Bring your right knee up to form a 90-degree angle with your leg and torso, then twist to the left and lower until your knee is as close to the floor as you can comfortably reach. Extend the leg slightly and reach your right arm out to the right side, placing your hand palm-down on the floor. Hold for 20 seconds, then repeat on the other side. This twisting stretch is guaranteed to loosen up a truly tight, knotted spine, and it’s an excellent stretch to rehabilitate an aching or injured back.

Child’s Pose – This Yoga pose is an absolute game-changer if you have lower or upper back aches. It also works wonders to loosen up your glutes, hips, hamstrings, knees, and ankles.

Get on your hands and knees on a Yoga mat on the floor, then slowly move your butt backward until you’re “sitting” on your feet with your arms extended over your head. Go as low as you can—your forehead can rest on the mat and your butt on your feet—and hold the pose for a good 30 seconds. Take long, deep breaths and really feel the stretch all the way up your entire back body.

Cat-Cow Pose – This stretch will target your upper and lower body, helping to loosen up stiff muscles and increase mobility after an injury. It’s also incredibly easy and totally safe to do in the first days post-injury.

Get on all fours on a Yoga mat, and as you inhale, push your lower back toward the ground while lifting your chin into the air. On the exhale, lower your chin to your chest and arch your upper back as high as you can. Switch between these two positions for 30 seconds, and you’ll find you can stand and move with far less pain!

Piriformis Stretch – This particular stretch works not just on your back, but also your hips, glutes, hamstrings, and knees to loosen up your entire lower body. You can go as deep as you want, or keep it light if you’re experiencing discomfort following an injury.

Lie on your back on a Yoga mat, with your knees bent and feet flat. Bring your right leg across and place it on your left thigh, then reach between your legs to clasp your hands behind your thighs and pull the leg toward you. Pull until you feel the tension in your hips, then hold, breathe, and pull gently to try and deepen the stretch. Hold for 10-20 seconds, then repeat with the other leg.

Glute Bridge – Glute Bridge is an excellent stretch/exercise to loosen up the tight muscles in your pelvis, but also engage your glutes and lower back muscles to build strength. It’s not ideal to do this exercise if you’re fresh off a back injury, however, so make sure to give yourself a week or so to recover before adding this one into your daily rotation.

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Keep your hands by your side, palms pressing into the floor. Inhale deep into your belly and thrust your pelvis toward the sky, then slowly lower on the exhale. Repeat 10-15 times, moving slowly and focusing on each breath.

Cobra Pose – This Yoga pose is excellent for loosening up any knots or tension in your upper and lower back, and it’s one you can safely do even if you’ve recently injured your back. It’s an awesome recovery-promoting stretch that will help to increase your joint mobility exponentially.

Start off lying face-down on a Yoga mat, with your hands planted on the floor beneath your shoulders. As you inhale, push up to extend your arms, lifting your head, shoulders, and upper belly off the mat to feel that lower back stretch. Exhale and lower yourself to the floor, then repeat. Do this 5-10 times, taking slow, deep breaths with every movement.

Lower Back Stretches Are Just the Beginning; Get Your Life Back on Track!

If you’re trying to deal with lower back pain, stretching is a good start, but so much more will be needed. You’ve got to address the root cause of your pain (or injury) and take steps to prevent further damage in the future.

That’s exactly what we aim to do with the Back on Track program!

Back on Track is the only program that looks at the dangerous but often ignored syndrome behind the back pains and aches that plague so many people. We take a deep dive not only into your existing problems, but what you can do to “bulletproof” your spine against future problems using a truly game-changing breathing technique.

Give Back on Track a try, and you’ll find that pairing it with the lower back stretches above will give you the best possible chance at a life free of back pain.