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Lower back pain and stiffness have become a common health concern among women. In some cases, it can be a symptom of an ongoing health condition. It can also be due to a sedentary lifestyle, injury or continuous motions.
While exercising and stretching aren't a complete remedy for all types of lower back pain, in many situations, they can provide great relief. Regular exercise not only reduces pain and stiffness but also strengthens your leg, abdominal and back muscles while promoting healthy spine functions.
So, if you have ongoing lower back pain or any discomfort in your lower back area, exercises may potentially help reduce the pain and make your muscles strong and well-built.
Exercises to Prevent Lower Back Pain and Stiffness
Here's a look at seven such exercises:
1) Hip Circles
This exercise helps reduce tension, enhances flexibility and loosens the lower back muscles. It engages your glutes, pelvic muscles, rectus abdominis and erector spinae.
How to do it?
- Stand straight with your feet slightly wider than your hip width. Keep your hands on your hips.
- Gently rotate your hips from side to side making big circles.
- Complete ten circles.
- Relax. Repeat in the opposite direction.
2) Legs Up The Wall
This exercise offers an excellent stretch in your hamstring muscles and also helps reduce stress in your lower back area. Moreover, it relaxes your pelvis and reduces lower back pain.
How to do it?
- Take a seated position with the left side of your body against a wall.
- Lie on your back, and swing both your legs along the wall. Keep your arms relaxed, and focus on releasing stress from your lower back.
- Stay in this pose for a few minutes.
3) Knees-to-chest
This exercise helps loosen your lower back muscles and also enhances flexibility and mobility while stabilising your pelvis.
How to do it?
- Lie straight on the floor on your back, and keep both your legs extended forward.
- Bring your left knee to your chest, and interlace your fingers around your shin.
- Hold the position, and lower your leg to the initial position.
- Bring your right knee to the initial position, repeat the above steps.
- Repeat this exercise on both legs, and use both knees at the same time.
4) Reclining Single Leg Stretch
This exercise stretches your hamstring muscles and also helps you relax your lower back while reducing pain and stiffness. The muscles engaged during this exercise are the hamstrings, erector spinae, gluteus maximus and rectus abdominis.
How to do it?
- Lie on the floor on your back, and keep your legs extended and straight.
- Raise your right leg, and keep it as straight as you can. Slightly bend your knee, and press into your left foot for support.
- Grab your fingers, and hold your extended leg, or simply use a towel or strap around your foot.
- Stay in this position for 20 seconds, and feel a gentle stretch.
- Repeat the movement on your left side.
5) Glute Bridge
The glute bridge targets your gluteus maximus, the muscles that form your buttocks.
This exercise helps stabilise and support your hips and lower back and also works as a mobilizer for the knees when they are extended straight during the exercise. Moreover, this exercise is also one of the best stretches to reduce lower back pain and stiffness.
How to do it?
- Lie on your back. Keep your knees completely bent and feet on the ground.
- Your arms should be on your sides, with your palms facing toward the ceiling.
- Engage your abs, and tighten your glutes to lift your pelvis slowly off the floor.
- Continue to raise your pelvis till your body gets into a straight line from your knee, hip and shoulder.
- Stay in this position for at least five seconds, and return to the starting position.
- Repeat.
6) Pelvic Tilt
A pelvic tilt develops strength in your core muscles, which helps ease lower back pain and stiffness, while also engaging your hamstrings and glutes.
How to do it?
- Start by lying down with your knees bent and feet on the ground.
- Rest your lower back comfortably on the floor in a neutral position.
- Engage your core muscles, and press your low back against the ground by tilting your pelvis up towards the ceiling.
- Lower it down, and repeat.
7) Supine Twist
The Supine twist not only stretches your entire lower back but also engages your glutes. The gluteal muscles can tighten when you experience lower back pain and cause more pain.
How to do it?
- Start by lying on the floor on your back and keeping your knees bent.
- Extend both your arms to your sides, and assume a 'T' position.
- Make sure your shoulders are on the floor as you roll both your knees to your right side.
- Stay in this position for ten seconds, and return to the centre..
- Start to roll on your left side, and hold for a few seconds.
Takeaway
Practicing the aforementioned exercises regularly can help reduce lower back pain and stiffness. You can start to see improvements in two to five weeks. However, if your pain doesn’t go within a few weeks, or you experience intense pain while doing these exercises, stop, and see a doctor immediately.
