Lower Back Strengthening Exercises for Pain

Lower back strengthening exercises can be useful for relieving the long term effects of lower back pain. By adding these lower back strengthening exercises to your daily workout regimen, you can help to strengthen your back and lessen your pain.

Strengthening Exercises for Lower Back Pain

Even with the promotion of more active lifestyles, the pain most people endure continues to be that of the lower back. Sitting for hours at a time in front of the computer or during a long commute only going to worsen the stiff muscles and imbalances causing the pain. Even if you don’t have the time to log an hour or two at the gym, here is a routine designed to strengthen, stretch, and relieve lower back pain in under 15 minutes.

Repeat each of the following exercises for 12-15 times for two sets:

Pelvic Tilts

A fabulous exercise for regular stretching and strengthening. Lie on your back, knees bent, and toes pointing straight down. Keep the natural curve of your back by lengthening through the pain. Make sure your chin is tucked gently in. To begin, flatten your low back into the floor by contracting your core muscles. Then reverse the movement as your breath by tilting the pelvis, so your tailbone feels as if it’s drifting up towards your head. Return to the neutral position. Repeat 10-15 times by gently rocking the pelvis forward and back.

Rolling Bridge Exercise

Here’s another essential exercise for the back and gluteal muscles. Be sure to keep the knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Tighten the abdominals and glutes. Raise your hips from the grounding by rolling up through the different regions of the spine: tailbone, lumbar, thoracic, then cervical. Reverse the motion to lower. Keep the shoulders and neck relaxed. Repeat 10-15 times.

Adductor-Assisted Back Extension

Back extensions can be rather intense for those with weak or tense erector spine, so here is a modification that’s challenging for anybody. Start prone, stomach on the floor. Flex your feet to lift the shins while keeping a slight bend in the knees. Press the thighs and hips into the floor as you squeeze your lower back muscles and lift your chest from the floor. Remove your hands from the ground; elbows pointed directly back behind you.

Eight-Point Plank

Consider these two combined movements your guide to building up the strength for a proper plank pose. The focus here is on the muscles stabilizing the core and the spine. From an all-fours position, feet flexed, hands slightly farther out in front, lower onto your elbows and knees. Keep the spine long and the elbows and knees squeezing in towards the centreline of the body.

8 points should have contact with the ground—hands, elbows, knees, toes. Hold for at least 30 seconds.

These exercises will not only help with correcting postural imbalances, but they also ease lower back pain and get you back to moving freely and happily.