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3 Top Physical Therapy Exercises to Help With Lower Back Pain

You need to work closely with a physical therapist who can create a regimen of exercises and stretches for your back, based on the type and location of your pain.There are many exercises you can do for physical therapy for back pain. Since the lower back is a complex mass of muscles, tendons, bones, and nerves, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to treating lower back pain.

Exercises to Increase Flexibility

There are many exercises to increase flexibility in your lower back. Here are the top three that could be recommended if you seek out physical therapy in Oklahoma City:

  1. Cat and Cow — Get on all fours with your hips directly over your knees, your shoulders directly over your hands, and your back straight. Breathe in while you look up to the ceiling, bending your spine toward the floor. Breathe out while you tuck your chin to your chest, arching your spine toward the ceiling. Repeat these movements 15 to 20 times. 
  2. Side-to-Side — Lay on your back with your feet flat on the floor and your knees up. Slowly lower your knees to one side, keeping them together. Stop when you feel your hip starting to come off the floor. Do the same slow movement to the other side. Repeat 15 to 20 times.
  3. Knee to Chest — Lay on your back with your feet flat on the floor and your knees up. Grab hold of one leg below your knee and pull that leg up toward your chest. Stop when you feel a good stretch that doesn’t hurt. Hold it for 30 seconds. Do the same for the other leg. Repeat three to four times.

Exercises to Strengthen Your Back

There are a lot of exercises you can use to strengthen your back. Here are three of them:

  1. Supine Core Strengthening — Lay flat on your back with your feet on the floor and your knees up. Engage your abdominal muscles and press your belly button toward the floor. Do this 15 to 20 times.
  2. Press Ups — Lay flat on your stomach with your elbows at your sides and your hands slightly in front of your shoulders. Keep your legs and hips in a straight line on the floor. Pull your shoulder blades toward each other as you lift your chest up off the floor. Keep your hips and legs flat on the floor. Keep your neck in line with your upper back. Slowly lower your chest back to the floor. Do it 15 to 20 more times.
  3. Bridge — Lay flat on your back with your feet on the floor and knees up. Keep your arms flat by your sides as you engage your abs and glutes, and slowly lift your hips off the floor. When you reach the point where there’s a straight line from your knees to your chest, hold that position for ten seconds, or until your muscles give out. Keep your shoulder blades and neck on the floor. Slowly lower your hips to the ground. Do it 15 to 20 times.

If you live in the area, physical therapy treatment near OKC could help you increase flexibility and strengthen your back to eliminate lower back pain. Make sure you visit a physical therapist who can develop the right regimen for you.

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