It’s safe to assume that if you’re reading this you probably sit at your computer for a long time. It’s ok, we’re not judging you, we all have desk jobs, even those lucky enough to be freelancers still sit at their laptops for hours. And therefore we all experience back pain, especially lower back pain. In order to ease that pain or prevent it, you’ve got to move around. Make sure you go for walks, or at least stand up every 30 minutes or so to do a short work or a couple of stretches. Speaking of stretches, here are the best stretches to ease lower back pain. Try to do these daily if you want to see real results and forget about lower back pain.
1. Child’s Pose
Doing the child pose is a great way to take the pressure off of your lower back. When doing it you elongate your spine while also decompressing and aligning it. It’s a nice stretch and it feels good. Start out on all fours with your knees hip-width apart and lay your torso down on your thighs. Put your hands up in front of you and try to stretch forward, as if to elongate your whole spine and neck. It’s best to relax into it and stay in the pose for at least a minute or two.
2. Trunk Rotation Stretch
This is a great stretch to do and if you’ve been sitting all day long you’re bound to feel your muscles relaxing and might possibly feel that satisfying crack as you do it. The idea is to lay down on your back, keep your shoulders and upper back flat on the floor while twisting your feet first to one side, then the other.
3. Cat/Cow
This is another stretch that you might’ve come across is you’ve ever done yoga. It’s a great way to get your spine moving after a long day of sitting at a desk. Start on all fours with your wrists under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. First, round up your spine and drop your head down to imitate a scared cat. Do this on an exhale. Then do the opposite and pull up your head and chest, arch your back and lift your tailbone up. This is the cow part of the stretch. Do this part on an inhale. Go back and forth for a couple of minutes.
4. Knee To The Chest
This stretch is meant to release tension in your thighs, buttocks and lower back. Lie down on your back with one leg straight and the other one bent at the knee. Now pull your knee towards your chest with your arms until you feel a stretch. Stay in that position for 30 seconds. Repeat for the other leg. You can also do this by just hooking your arms under the knee and pulling your thigh towards your chest that way.
5. Downward Facing Dog
We have no doubt you’ve heard about this one. The downward-facing dog doesn’t exactly stretch your lower back, instead, it stretches your legs and removes the pressure from your lower back. Did you know that sometimes we get lower back pain just because our legs muscles get too tight? You know how to do this one, so we won’t even bother explaining, it’s pretty easy.
6. Seated Spinal Twist
This stretch works wonders for most of your body and improves mobility in your back. To perform it – sit down with your legs straight in front of you. Bend your right leg at the knee and place the foot over the left leg. Now take your left arm and move it to the right so that your elbow is over your knee. Twist your torso to the left. Repeat on the other side two. It’s best to do this slowly without any sudden movement and extra straining. It’s a slow stretch.
7. Sphinx Pose
It’s exactly what it sounds like. Lie down on your tummy. Place your elbows under your shoulders and engage your lower back a little. However, don’t hyperextend or stretch too far. You shouldn’t feel any pain. Stay in this pose for a couple of minutes.
8. Cobra Stretch
This is very similar to the sphinx we mentioned above. But this time you put your hands under your shoulders and lift up. Try to imagine yourself being lifted up by the top of your head. Elongate the neck and your spine. And again, do so slowly and don’t arch your back or overextend your lower back. You shouldn’t feel any pain.
9. Gentle Rocking
Lie down on your back, wrap your arms around your knees and hold them close to your chest. Now slowly rock from side to side. This is a great way to massage and relax your back. Do this for a couple of minutes to really feel the effect of this stretch.