Back Pain Relief with Extension & Rotation Stretches
This video will show you some back extension and rotation stretches. If you are having low back pain, or if you have been diagnosed with a herniated disc or bulging disc, these stretches will help relieve the pain. This will also help if you have a numbness or tingling going down one of your legs. Start off on your stomach, or in prone. This will help you stretch your spine into extension. You can prop up on your elbows and hold it for a few minutes. If that is not enough stretch, you can push up onto your hands, but try to keep your hips on the ground as shown in the video to maximize the stretch in your lower back.
Next try some gentle rotation stretches on your back with your knees bent in hooklying. Gently rotate your bent legs from side to side. You can hold them on each side for 30 seconds or you can continuously rotate them back and forth. Again, try to keep your lower back on the ground. If you need more of a stretch, then you can bring your top leg up and over to rotate your whole lower body to one side and then the other. This will be done for 30 seconds, 3 times on each side.
The last one can be performed standing up. Put your hands on your hips and lean back. Try not to bend your knees, just at your lower back. Again, this will be done for 30 seconds, 3 times.
These stretches should not hurt. If they hurt, you are either pushing too hard, or not exactly doing it right. If there is sharp pain with any exercises or stretches, stop immediately and talk with your doctor or therapist.
The lower back can be a hard area to stretch depending on what is causing the pain. My favorite exercise for this area is a pelvic tilt. It’s a great exercise as well as a stretch for the low back, hips, and pelvis.
People who have back pain will often experience it when they first get up in the morning. These quick stretches should help relieve back pain before even getting out of bed!
Cracking your back can feel great, and it can help relieve back tension and back pain when it's done correctly. But it's very important to have a proper diagnosis because sometimes you should not crack your back at all. So always get cleared by your doctor or physical therapist before trying.
Sore back muscles are common when starting a new workout program or when exercising a little too hard. These back stretches can help relax a sore & tight back and provide pain relief.
For a herniated disc, to relieve the back pain, you want to do extension exercises and stretches to help push the disc back into the space in your spine.
Therapeutic Yoga can help relieve back pain by incorporating physical therapy & yoga. Trudy, a fellow PT & registered yoga teacher, stops by to show me stretches & exercises for back pain relief.
These back pain relief stretches don't necessarily need to be done in bed, but they are a great way to help relieve back pain in the morning before getting up, and/or when going to bed at night.
Lumbar spinal stenosis can press on the spinal cord and the nerves that travel through the spine. Symptoms include pain or cramping in the legs when standing for long periods or when walking.
Upper back pain or thoracic area pain is sometimes caused by trigger points or muscle knots. Trigger points are basically when a specific area on a muscle gets irritated and tightens up into a ball or knot.
This video will show you some back extension and rotation stretches. If you are having low back pain, or if you have been diagnosed with a herniated disc or bulging disc, these stretches will help relieve the pain. This will also help if you have a numbness or tingling going down one of your legs. Start off on your stomach, or in prone. This will help you stretch your spine into extension. You can prop up on your elbows and hold it for a few minutes. If that is not enough stretch, you can push up onto your hands, but try to keep your hips on the ground as shown in the video to maximize the stretch in your lower back.
