Relieve Low Back Pain with 4 Simple Core Exercise Progressions
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Lower back pain can often be relieved, and even prevented, by strengthening the core. So here are progression exercises to help strength the core in the front, side, and back.
When we talk about core exercises, people usually think about the abdominal muscles in the front, but our core muscles are not only in the front,, but also in the side and back.
Starting with a pelvic tilt is the foundation to progress to a dead bug exercise. These might look simple, but when done correctly, they can be very challenging.
Next bridging to a single leg bridge is a great progression to work your glutes and hamstrings. Then, a clamshell to clamshell with feet lifted progression will work the muscles on the side of your body.
Finally, a quadruped leg extension to a bird dog is a great way to work all the muscles because you have to stabilize your body with the movements.
Mid back pain (also called middle back pain or thoracic back pain) can make it difficult to perform everyday activities. Here are 3 of my favorite mid back stretches to help relieve pain & tightness.
One of the most effective back pain relief stretches is the prayer stretch, also known as child’s pose. However, this popular stretch can be challenging for those who cannot get down on the floor or put pressure on their knees. Fortunately, there is an excellent alternative: the seated rolldown stretch. This modification provides a comprehensive back and whole body stretch without the need to kneel or lie on the floor.
When trying to find the perfect mattress to help relieve and prevent back pain, the main thing to look for is a mattress that has the right amount of support to help keep your spine in proper alignment, or a neutral position. The mattresses designed by Back Science are designed specifically to help improve overall sleep posture, keep the spine optimally aligned, and reduce muscle and joint pressure throughout the back and neck.
The upper back can be a hard area to stretch. Tight rhomboid muscles and other muscles around the shoulder and neck can cause upper back pain. My favorite stretch for the upper back area is a seated rhomboid stretch.
My favorite exercise for upper back pain relief is a seated row. It’s a great exercise for your upper back, shoulders, and neck area. This upper back exercise is performed in real-time, so it's easy to follow along if you want.
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.
Percussive Massage Therapy using a massage gun (aka percussion massager) for back pain relief uses fast, soft pulses over a short amount of time to get deep down into the muscle fibers.