Treat Your Own Back with These Lower Back Exercises

I promised my friend Lou I would put this work out together. I’ve had a bad back for years… herniated disc to be exact. To avoid flare ups, surgery and to keep me riding my mountain bike, I have a back workout that keeps me healthy.

First I recommend buying these 2 books: Treat Your Own Back & Pain Free. Treat Your Own Back has a strategy to treat your back while a flare up occurs.  Pain Free has threapy options for multiple injuries including the lower back. I’ve incorporated some of these exercises into my DAILY routine. Some of these exercises came out of the books and others come via a friends brother who practices sports medicine.

I recommend buying the books so you can learn about the theory of the workouts and so on. Please read the books, read through the exercises below and consult your physician before proceeding. I’m only sharing what works for me… you know your body so proceed at your own risk. Just saying.. I have NEVER been prescribed theses movements by a doctor or sports therapist. I’m simply treating my own back and sharing what I do so it might help others.

Ok onto the workout.

You will need a pillow, a chair, a yoga ball, a foam block (something close to 8″ x 6″ x 4″). Yoga mat is optional.

Passive Stretching

First lie face down on the floor for about 5 – 10 minutes (longer if you like) and let your body completely relax. What you are trying to so is allow your your muscles to begin to release  allowing your spine fall into its natural alignment / curvature.

Egoscue’s Supine Groin Stretch

This is a great passive stretch. This one takes time for the muscles to release. For me, the Supine Groin Stretch has helped me considerably.

Lie on your back on the floor, place your right calf and foot on the chair with the knee at about 90 degrees, arms out to the sides. The left leg lies straight out, with the toe pointed up. You’ll need to place the stack of books or other prop on the outside edge of your foot to keep the toe pointed straight up. If it drops out to the side, the stretch won’t work. Now all you do is lie there, allowing the tension and tightness in the back and hips to release. At first you may have to do this up to 45 minutes, until your body learns how to release. Once learned, you’ll find 5 or 10 minutes will often do the trick. Don’t forget to do both sides.

The Psoas Stretch
This is another great passive stretch. I’ve heard this described as something completely different but this is how I know the Psoas stretch as explained by a massage therapist.

Lie flat on your belly (head can be turned to which ever way is most comfortable), bring your right knee toward your head as far as possible while remaining as flat as possible and hold for 5 – 10 minutes on each side.

Active Movements

Prone Over Pillow:
Place a pillow under your belly in the prone (face down) position and extening right arm and left leg out holding for 10 seconds. Switch sides and repeat for 3 sets each side.

Boulevard Dogs:
Starting on all fours, extend right arm and left leg out and hold for 10 seconds, come back to all fours then do the same with the opposing arm & leg. Repeat three times

A variation of this would be to continuously switch opposites in stead of holding for 10 seconds… count 10 extensions per right and left.

Sitting Pillow Squeeze
Use a pillow, basketball or foam block… place between your knees and squeeze in and out slowly. 3 sets of 10

Supine Pillow Squeeze
Lie down on your back with your feet /calves up on a chair, legs bent at about 90 degrees.  Use a pillow, basketball or foam block… place between your knees and squeeze in and out slowly. 3 sets of 10

Bridge Ball
Using a fully inflated yoga ball, lie on your back place under your feet on the ball and lift your belly button upward until your body is flat while keeping your head and neck on the floor. Hold for 10 to 15 seconds. 3 sets

Rollout Push-Ups
Using the yoga ball, lay over the top belly down. Walk your hands out front rolling the ball until its under your feet. Now bust out a bunch of push-ups. I usually do about a hundred broken up into to 2 – 3 sets.

Frequency

I try and do this workout every day. I usually fall short of that goal. But in the beginning, for at least the first month or two.. 7 Days. After that let your body tell you how often but I would recommend no less than 5 Days. It’s even more important to keep moving. If you can’t do the whole workout.. at least to a few exercises each day and throw in some other yoga poses you like.

It’s important to stay diligent and if you do.. recovery is right around the bend. I’ve been doing these exercises for over a year. I started during the worst flare up I’ve ever experienced.  Knock on wood, I haven’t had a flare-up since July of 2008.