Lower back pain presents in so many different ways. On the contrary, two people with the same set of symptoms may respond to completely different treatment plans. Perhaps the one thing all of us have in common, is our fight against gravity. We are all subject to the compressive stress of gravity and therefore, the overwhelming majority of us may benefit from spinal decompression.
The following set of exercises, is an easy-to-do at home routine that will unload your spine from the compressive stress experienced during prolonged sitting, standing and existing on planet Earth and thus help to relieve your lower back pain.
More information about spinal decompression exercises and how to use a back block.
The above lower back pain exercises should be performed at least twice per day: once in the morning after rising, then again before going to bed. There is no limit to how many times one chooses to do them throughout the day. They are simple movements which, from start to finish, shouldn’t take you any longer than 5-7mins. If you find you get great relief from doing them, by all means, perform them more than twice per day.
You will notice these exercises are all ‘flexion-based’. This means, they focus on restoring flexion range of motion through the lumbar spine. In other words, they help you to achieve more pain free bending forward from the waist movements. Another approach to addressing lower back pain is the McKenzie Method. This method is well established in the realm of physicaltherapy, and has also helped many lower back pain sufferers. The method focuses on extension based movements as a means to restore aggravated tissues in the lumbar spine. You can read more about the McKenzie Method exercises here.
As you will note, these are two contrasting approaches to the treatment of lower back pain. Thus, it is very important to seek advice from a practitioner that has a solid understanding of the available techniques to use in helping those with lower back pain. Is your practitioner aware of these contrasting approaches, and can he or she explain why one or both approaches would or would not suit your condition.
Assuming your back is in good condition, and you are not suffering pain or discomfort, it may be good practice for you to attempt this more comprehensive set of lower back pain exercises. This set incorporates both flexion and extension based movements thus giving your lumbar spine a good all round ‘movement workout’.
Finally, if you’re up for a more detailed look at exercises for lower back pain relief, check this flick out:
If you are interested in seeing one of the therapists at The Physicaltherapy centre, you can book online here.
