There are hundreds of exercises we could have put in this section. Depending on what is causing your low back pain, some of these exercises might help and some might not. It is important to realize that if any of these exercises are increasing your pain, you should not do them. Also, prescribing exercise is much like prescribing medication. The type of exercise and amount of exercise is very important. Without a full examination by one of our physical therapists, its difficult to prescribe exercises that will take away your pain. The exercises below were selected to help decrease low back pain, no matter what the cause is, but it is only a “best guess” and not an actual prescription based on an examination.
Bird Dog
Get down on the floor on all fours. Balance your weight equally between your hands and your knees. In one smooth motion, reach out with your right hand and reach back with your left foot while balancing on your left hand and right knee. Keep your back flat. Hold this position steady and return to the starting position. Repeat this with the left hand and right foot extended.
Suggested program: Hold each position for 5 seconds and complete 15 repetitions on each side. Do this once per day.
Slump Slider
Sit at the edge of a chair or your bed. Tuck your chin down to your chest and put your arms behind your back. Slouch over by leaning forward as far as you can go without causing an increase in your back pain. Crank your toe back towards your nose as far as you can go. Slowly straighten your knee until you feel a pull in the back of your leg. Pause in the position you feel the stretch and then return to the starting position.
Suggested program: Repeat this 15 times on each side holding for 3 seconds and do this one time per day.
Side plank
Lay on your side on the floor with your elbow supporting your upper body and the outside of your hip supporting your lower body with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Simply lift your hip off the ground so that your lower body is now supported by your knees and your elbow continues to support your upper body.
Suggested program: Hold this position then return to the starting position. Hold the position for 5 seconds and complete 10 repetitions on each side. Do this exercise one time per day.
Are you looking for more information and someone to tell you what is going on with your low back pain!? Come in for a free screen with one of our therapists.
It’s a 30 minute 1-on-1 appointment with a Physical Therapist where you get the following…
1. A DIAGNOSIS: Discover the cause of your pain so that you can attack the problem successfully.
2. A PROGNOSIS: Find out how long it will take to fix your back pain for good so you can get back to all the activities you used to do before your injury.
3. A PLAN: Your Physical Therapist will lay out a clear plan that outlines what will be required to get you back to normal.
All you need to do to get started is to call (610) 839 – 8764 and pick your time and location. We look forward to meeting you and getting you back to normal!
