Strengthening Exercises for Lower Back Pain
To mark the end of our back pain series today we will give you some exercises to help strengthen and stabilise if you have sacro-iliac joint dysfunction (pelvis/hips out of alignment) or lower back pain. Core stability and gluteal exercises help support your pelvis and back.
A lot of people have weak core or gluteal muscles. Core muscles are not your six pack muscles (rectus abdominus) they are deeper muscles (transverses abdominus) which support the pelvis and spine, they aren’t always targeted when people are working out. Gluteals are you buttock muscles which are also really important to keep strong when you have lower back pain.
It is important to make sure you have good core stability and gluteal muscles to support your back and pelvis which will help maintain pelvis alignment, reduce pain, prevent the risk of injury and improve posture. The exercises below will teach you how to activate your core stability muscles and strengthen your gluteal muscles.
Please note that a lot of people who have pelvis alignment problems often describe not feeling level, one leg feels longer or in the wrong place and complain of stiffness and pain around their hips and/or lower back. We also see a lot of people with lower back pain too. The best treatment is hands on manipulation and mobilisation to correct the alignment of your pelvis and lower back joint mobilisation, release the muscles then core stability and gluteal exercises to maintain the alignment and ease your pain.
Please be aware of your body and take advice from your GP before exercising or send us an email (enquiries@physio-logical.net) for advice and guidance.
Bridging
The bridge is good for strengthening the core stability and gluteal muscles (buttocks).
- Lie on your back
- Bend your knees so your feet are flat on the floor.
- Squeeze your gluteals and then push your hips up until there is a straight line through knee and hip to upper body and shoulders remain on the floor.
- Hold for 10 seconds repeat until your muscles ache, repeat once a day
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Superman
This exercise helps strengthen core stability muscles and improves balance.
- Kneel on the floor and place your hands below your shoulders and knees below your hips
- Extend right leg back and the left arm forward.
- Maintain a straight body line through extended leg, body and extended arm.
- Repeat with opposite limbs.
- Hold for 10 seconds, repeat 10 times, 2 times a day.
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Plank
This is an advance core stability exercise, so only try this if you are used to exercising or once your core stability has improved after doing the two exercises above.
- Start on elbows and knees
- Straighten your legs and raise your body so that you’re supported by the balls of your feet, with feet hip-distance apart.
- Face the floor, being careful not to arch your back or stick your bottom in the air.
- Hold this position for 30 seconds to begin with, extending the time as you get stronger, repeat twice, once a day
- You should feel this on your tummy muscles if you get lower back pain then stop and please do the easier version below,
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Half Plank
- Hold a straight back position, with your knees down, so you are supported on your elbows and knees.
- Tighten the lower abdominals and maintain a straight body line through knees, hips and head.
- Hold for 30 seconds, extending the time as you get stronger, repeat twice, once a day.
- You should feel your tummy muscles working, if you are feeling your back pain then please do not do this until you are stronger
If you are suffering from lower back pain, your pelvis doesn’t feel right, or you want to learn ways to strengthen your core or gluteal muscles to reduce your lower back pain then please get in contact with us via enquiries@physio-logical.net, 07835 712306 or book online as we can help you to ease your lower back pain today.
We can treat you within our Havant and Rowlands Castle clinics which are local to Emsworth, Waterlooville, Horndean, Cowplain, Clanfield, Hayling Island, Langston, Compton, Finchdean, Chichester, Denmead and Petersfield or we offer home visits too.
We hope you have enjoyed reading our back pain blog series, our next set of blogs will be focussing on knee pain so if you want us to cover anything about knee pain then please drop us an email!
Thanks for reading!
