6 Best Foam Roller Exercises For Lower Back Pain

If you're experiencing lower back pain, foam rolling can help relieve it and alleviate some of the discomfort.

It's also a great way to stretch out your hamstrings, quads, glutes and calves after a long day of sitting around at work or driving. Foam rollers provide the perfect amount of pressure to release tight muscles in your midsection while also improving circulation to help with pain relief.

Why You Should Use a Foam Roller For Back Pain

As you know, the spine is made up of many small bones called vertebrae and discs that are filled with fluid. In order for these bones and discs to move freely, they need to be mobile. As our muscles tend to get tighter over time, they pull on the surrounding joints and connective tissue, causing pain, stiffness and immobility.

By using a foam roller repeatedly on areas of tightness (tendons), we break down scar tissue that has built up in those areas, allowing an improved range of motion. Repeated rolling stimulates blood flow throughout your body, which helps reduce inflammation in your muscles so they can recover faster from exercise or injury.

Best Foam Roller Exercises for Back Pain

Here are six foam roller exercises that can help relieve discomfort in your lower back:

1) Arch and Curl

To do the arch and curl, lie flat on your back with both legs straight. Lift your feet off the floor and your arms above your head. Keeping knees straight, lift your hips up so that only the lower back is touching the ground. Hold this position for three seconds before lowering back down to the starting position. Repeat for 10 to 20 repetitions twice per day as needed.

This exercise strengthens the core muscles in the abdomen, lower back and upper thighs by increasing tension within them. At the same time, it avoids any movement of other body parts like arms or legs that could potentially add stress to injured areas along with giving you a total body workout at once.

To modify this exercise when first starting out, performing it on knees instead of lying completely flat on your stomach (which helps prevent slouching). As you progress over time, try performing it without holding onto anything as well. That will increase the difficulty significantly.

2) Latissimus Dorsi Foam Rolling Sequence

It's done as follows:

Assume a prone position on the floor with your knees bent, hips and shoulders in contact with the floor and hands rotated out to 90 degrees from the arms.
Make sure that you are pressing through the heels of your feet rather than trying to lift them off of the floor.
Lift one arm off of the floor and rotate it towards that side of your body till it's perpendicular with the upper arm pointing straight down towards that side of your body (do not rotate past this point).
Hold for five seconds before returning back down to starting position; repeat on the other side alternating between sides at least three times before going onto the next step:
Bring both arms together so they are parallel with each other as if you were doing a 'T' with them above your head (do not bring them closer together than parallel).
Hold for another ten seconds before going on to the next step:
Bring your elbows together while continuing to keep arms parallel above the head till they meet at chest level or slightly higher, depending on what feels comfortable for you.
Hold for ten more seconds, and return to below elbow level till the starting position again.

3) Quadratus Lumborum Release

The quadratus lumborum, also known as the QL, is a muscle that hugs your lower back area.

It's an important muscle to help stabilize the lower back and pelvis during exercise. When it becomes tight or overactive, it can cause low back pain when lifting or twisting, particularly with rotation of the hips (like in squats) or lateral bending (like in planks).

The best way to release this tightness is by stretching it out before you work out—but not all stretches are created equal! The quadratus lumborum release targets areas where other stretches might not reach. It uses a foam roller placed between your spine and pelvis while lying flat on your stomach.

You'll roll from just under one shoulder blade down across the middle of your back towards your hip on one side; then repeat on the other side. By targeting these "tight spots," we can effectively relieve tension in this area without having to stretch too far into our joints—which could potentially cause more harm than good.

4) Hip Flexor Stretch

The Hip Flexor Stretch is performed by placing a foam roller on the floor and positioning yourself to straddle it. You can place the roller anywhere from your knees to your hips for comfort, but be sure to keep your back straight and long.

To begin, start with your hands in prayer position in front of your chest, and slowly roll forward so that you are rolling over the entire length of both legs with every movement. Make sure your toes are pointed upwards towards the ceiling. That'll help stretch out those tight muscles in all four quadriceps. Reaching further will work even more targeted areas such as calves or hamstrings, if needed.

To modify this exercise, you can try sitting upright on top of a stability ball instead. That'll take some weight off of pressure points while allowing enough tension to stimulate results.

5) Toe Taps

They're done as follows:

Sit on your mat with the roller under your back and hips.
Keep the roller near its full length, with only the end of the roller touching the floor (that will keep it from being too heavy).
Keeping your knees bent, lift one foot off the ground, and place it on top of the other knee so that you have a tripod of sorts - two feet balancing on one another in front of you. It's called a tripod, as it looks like a camera tripod.
Roll backward slowly till you feel a stretch along each side of your lower back (front and back).
Try to relax in this position for at least 30 seconds before moving forward again; when we are stressed out or in pain, our muscles tend to tighten up even more than usual
With each repetition try to go farther back than before till both feet are lying flat on top of the other behind you.

6) Hip Circles

To perform hip circles, sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat. Your hips should be above your knees and shoulders, with your trunk in a neutral position. If you're having trouble maintaining this position, try placing a pillow or bolster under each knee for support.

Hands resting at your sides, lift one leg off the ground, keeping it straight throughout this exercise. Rotate it in small circles clockwise for ten seconds before gently returning it to the starting position. Repeat on the other side of the body.

Takeaway

If you're experiencing lower back pain, foam rolling can help relieve it and alleviate some of your discomfort. In addition to the physical benefits of foam rolling, there are many mental benefits as well. A few minutes of foam rolling can help you recover from workouts, get better sleep, relax and unwind after a long day at work.

Foam rolling is a great way to relieve lower back pain. The aforementioned exercises can help you do just that. If you’re experiencing discomfort in your lower back, give the said exercises a try.

Poll : Do you use a foam roller after your workouts?

Yes

28 votes

Edited by Bhargav