11 Exercises To Relieve Lower Back Pain

11 Exercises To Relieve Lower Back Pain
If lower back pain is a constant annoyance in your life, you might be wary of working out in fear of making it worse—and understandably so. However, by improving hip mobility and core strength, exercise can actually help provide the relief you're looking for. "In general, lower back pain can result from either instability (like a weak core or hyper-mobile joints) or too much tightness," Jared Kaplan, founder of Studio 26 in NYC, tells SELF. "Most find that a general program of hip mobility and stretches, plus dynamic core stability, can provide relief for consistent lower back pain." Your hips and lower back are connected, and since your lower back is a part of your core, strengthening all of the muscles in that area (including the abs on front) will help support your back and prevent muscle strain and pain. Of course, lower back pain is a wide category with many different causes and conditions associated, says Kaplan. If you have alignment issues or experience sharp pains, you should always take a break from working out and check in with your doctor or a physical therapist to decide on the safest and most effective course of action for you. For more general achiness, incorporating some strategic moves can put you on the path to a pain-free back. Here are some of Kaplan's picks, in order from least demanding to most demanding for your lower back—as you get stronger, you can incorporate moves further down the list, he explains. (Bonus: These are great for building stronger legs and glutes, too.) 1. Dead Bug Lie on your back with your feet in the air and knees bent 90 degrees. Raise your arms in the air so that your hands are directly above your shoulders. Slowly extend your right leg in front of you and your left arm above your head, keeping your lower back pressed against the floor. Return to the starting position. Repeat on the other side. 2. Clam Shell Lie on your left side with your hips, knees, and ankles stacked on top of one another. Bend your knees at a 90-degree angle. Keeping your feet together, rotate your right knee open, then slowly lower it back to the ground. Don't forget to do the other side! 3. Bird Dog Crunch Start on your hands and knees in tabletop position with your wrists above your shoulders and your knees below your hips. Extend your right arm forward and left leg back, maintaining a flat back and square hips. Squeeze your abs and exhale as you draw your right elbow to your left knee. Extend back out to start. Don't forget to do the other side! 4. Glute Bridge Start lying flat on your back, your knees bent and your arms in low V by your hips. Your feet should be about hip-distance apart with your heels a few inches away from your butt. Push through your heels to lift your hips up while squeezing your glutes. Try to create one diagonal line from your shoulders to your knees. Pause for 1-2 seconds, then lower back down. If you're advanced, you could also add a challenge with a marching glute bridge or a single-leg glute bridge. 5. Pilates Roll-Up Lie faceup on a mat with your arms resting on floor above your head. Float your arms up so your wrists are directly over your shoulders, and begin to curl your spine up and off the floor. Fold over your legs, forming a "U" shape with your body. Reverse the movement to lower back to the mat. 6. Warrior Balance Stand on your left foot and lift your right knee to hip height in front of your body. Reach your torso forward as you extend your right leg behind you. Keep your standing leg slightly bent as your torso becomes parallel with the floor. Extend your arms overhead to help with balance. Pause for a second, then reverse the movement. Don't forget to do the other side! 7. Side Step Squat Stand tall with your feet together and hands on your hips. Step your right foot to the right, so your feet are just wider than shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees and drop your butt back and down to lower into a squat. Straighten your knees and bring your foot back to the starting position. Repeat with the other leg. 8. Bodyweight Squat Start standing with your feet just slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Sit your butt back into a squat, without letting your knees go past your toes. Make sure your weight is in your heels, and keep your chest up. 9. Reverse Lunge Start in a standing position with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Inhale as you step backwards with your left foot. Land on the ball of your left foot and keep your heel off the ground. Now bend your knees creating two 90-degree angles with your legs. Keep your shoulders directly above your hips and your chest is upright. Push through the heel of your right foot to return to standing, then repeat with the opposite leg. 10. Reverse Lunge With Front Twist Start standing with feet hip-width apart. Take a big step back with left foot and bend knees to lower into lunge while twisting torso over right (front) leg. Return to standing, then repeat with the opposite leg. While this GIF shows the exercise using a dumbbell, you can ditch the weight, too. 11. Good Mornings Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and with your hands behind your head, elbows wide. Keeping your core tight, bend your knees slightly and hinge hips back, lowering your torso until it is nearly parallel to the ground. Return to standing. You may also like: 9 Easy Stretches For Tight Hips Original article and pictures take http://www.self.com/story/6-moves-to-say-goodbye-to-lowe/amp site