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
To start off, lie down in a prone position on your stomach. You will prop up on your elbows for a prone prop. Try to keep your hips down on the ground while your stomach and chest come off the ground. If the elbows are too much, you can come down slightly to where it is comfortable. Hold this for 30 seconds and do three.
Then if that becomes easy, still in the same position, now come up into a push up position on your hands. Still try to keep your hips down on the ground if possible. This one is a little more stressful on the arms, so you might want to start off with 10-15 seconds, and work your way up from there.
Now turn over onto your back and prop you knees up with your feet flat on the ground. You will do a bridge by pushing your bottom up off the ground, but try to do this slowly, and do one segment of your back at a time curling upward. Then slowly go down the same way, one segment at a time. You can start off with 10 of these, and then work your way up.
Finally, you will do a figure four stretch. Cross your foot over onto the thigh of your other leg into a figure four position. Grab the leg on the ground underneath the thigh, and pull your leg toward your chest. Hold this stretch for 30 seconds, and do three on each side.
Mid back pain can make it difficult to perform everyday activities. Here are some of my favorite mid back stretches and exercises to help relieve the pain.
These back pain relief stretches are great for helping to relieve general back pain and back stiffness. The back stretches are done in real time, so they are easy to follow.
Osteoporosis develops when the structure and strength of bone changes. This can cause decrease in bone strength which can increase the risk of breaking bones. These gentle exercises for osteoporosis, when done at one’s own pace, can help prevent further decline and help protect the bones.
In this video, I teamed up with Dr. Jen, a pelvic floor physical therapist who also happens to be pregnant! She'll show you her top 5 exercises to help relieve low back pain when you are pregnant by mobilizing and stabilizing the pelvis.
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.
A rhomboid stretch is great for the rhomboid muscles because they tend to get overworked and tight easily. Many rhomboid stretches require someone to get in an uncomfortable position or down on the floor. This simple modified rhomboid stretch can be done sitting in a chair or on the couch.
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.