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Exercising with Lower Back Pain

Increase Strength & Flexibility to Decrease Pain

-- By Holly Little, Certified Personal Trainer
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Wall Slides to strengthen your back, hip and leg muscles
How to: Stand with your back against a wall and feet shoulder-width apart. Slide down into a crouch until the knees bend to about 90°. Count to 5 and slide back up the wall. Repeat 5 times.

Partial Sit-Up to strengthen stomach muscles
How to: Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on floor. Slowly raise your head and shoulders off the floor and reach with both hands toward your knees. Count to 10. Repeat 5 times.

Back Leg Swing to strengthen hip and back muscles
How to: Stand behind a chair with your hands on the back of the chair. Lift one leg back and up while keeping the knee straight. Return slowly. Raise the other leg and return. Repeat 5 times with each leg.

Exercises to increase flexibility and stretch out the back
How to: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on your bed or floor. Raise your knees toward your chest. Place both hands under your knees and gently pull your knees as close to your chest as possible. Do not raise your head. Do not straighten your legs as you lower them. Start with 5 repetitions, several times a day.

Remember to never exercise to the point of sharp pain or discomfort, and gradually progress to more repetitions or sets of an exercise. Although it can be uncomfortable or slightly painful to strengthen the areas of your body that are causing your back pain, the benefit will be there in the long run. Say so long to the pain in your back!

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About The Author

Holly Little Holly Little
A former Division I basketball player, Holly is a certified in Spinning and personal training.

Member Comments

  • JOECLARK1
    Well exercise may be worse if you have different type of pain , everything depends on cause of pain , some cause may ever require surgery
    check out this article about causes :
    http://lower-ri
    ghtback-pain.
    com/lower-rig
    ht-back-pain-causes/

    Joe Clark - 4/25/2013 11:58:30 AM
  • When I suddenly had severe lower back pain, the first thing I did was go to my orthopedist. He prescribed about one week of rest and non-steroidal anti-inflammatori
    es, and then I had a couple months of physical therapy. It really helped! - 3/14/2013 7:01:49 PM
  • Appreciate individual comments & concerns. I went to physical therapist and learned several things among which are twisting probably is not good for back, pelvic tilts are excellent, and the exercises in this articled are in general agreement with my PT. - 12/7/2012 12:23:34 PM
  • Can't wait to do these! - 9/6/2012 6:32:05 PM
  • RIANEUFELD
    I suffer from severe fibromyalgia, and would dearly love to do these exercises, but find that even a few minutes can make me so exhausted that I may be 'laid out' for hours. It is critical to husband one's strength, even while keeping moving. I find it beneficial to go into my garden and pull weeds-gently of course- for a few minutes several times a day. This gets me bending over, and using some gentle stretches. Because of severe back and hip pain, I try to modify a little- a minute or 2 at a time- i don't know how beneficial this is in terms of fitness, but it helps me to keep moving, which is really what those of us with chronic pain need to do. - 7/30/2012 9:28:24 PM
  • Re: the last exercise on increasing flexibility in the lower back. My belly is too big to do both legs at once. My doctor okayed doing one at a time and that works fine for me. - 5/18/2012 1:20:20 PM
  • TALTAL78
    hi
    very good article
    i have good exercise book with Pictures and Explanations for lower back pain
    and i will be glad to share it with you.
    you can find it in
    www.paincomebac
    k.com
    tal

    - 5/16/2012 3:06:27 AM
  • I wouldn't consider - and didn't - moving ahead with this until I sought the advice of an orthopedist, who referred me to their physical therapists...who recommended exercises that really helped. I felt I was in safe hands...and fortunately, I was. - 4/22/2012 12:19:33 PM
  • My old sensei used to extol the virtues of a strong pelvic girdle (musculature) to help the back. - 3/24/2012 11:42:50 PM
  • CGIVANS
    I agree with hula hooping. :) I hoop at least 15 minutes a day. I did notice that it made it worse the first couple of days, but now my back pain is better, and it's only been a couple of weeks. It might also be worth mentioning that the wrong mattress can REALLY cause back problems. I just traded out my old mattress because I found some info on the site http://www.qmattr
    esses.com/. Now I sleep better and I wake up with less pain. I figured it was worth a try and I am so glad I did! - 1/16/2012 12:50:30 AM
  • SCHELLENBERG2
    As a Certified Personal Trainer and a Certified Pilates Instructor I find that although these exercises are great as outlined, most people with back pain should not be doing them without guidance and proper instruction. It cannot be understated how much people with back pain need to gain core strength. The concern is that they are doing exercises with correct form. Incorrect form can actually make back pain worse instead of better. If you suffer from back pain then visit a professional. Check out their qualifications and ensure you're seeing someone who has more than a weekend certification course. You only get one body in this lifetime. It's well worth it to have someone show you proper exercise techniques to keep that body in it's best shape possible. - 1/10/2012 12:09:33 PM
  • Just what I needed - thanks! But for the Wall Slides, which my chiropractor called Wall Sitting, he said it's important to keep the knees behind the toes (i.e. lower legs must remain vertical) to keep from damaging the knees. - 9/17/2011 2:29:02 AM
  • SHURA107
    This is very good, thank you. - 9/16/2011 12:07:37 PM
  • VWATSAP
    I have had hip replacement surgery. Most of these exercises would be OK for me but I wish there would be some mention made about exercises being safe for people like me to do. - 9/16/2011 7:40:44 AM
  • Hula hooping helps my back after a hard day at work. Love it! - 9/16/2011 4:16:43 AM
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