Lower back pain can be incredibly debilitating, making it difficult to do everyday tasks. It can cause stiffness and soreness, making it hard to move around. This type of pain can also keep you up at night, leading to fatigue and a lack of energy during the day. In any case, you don’t want your lower back to keep persisting.
Why Stretches Help Lower Back Pain
There are many reasons why stretching may help ease back pain. Usually, when muscles are tight, there is greater pressure on the spine, leading to pain and discomfort. Stretching can help to loosen up back muscles, as well as other muscles supporting the spine, which helps with stiffness and soreness. Additionally, stretching also boosts blood flow, which reduces inflammation and encourages healing of the back.
There are many stretches that help ease lower back pain, and here are just a few of them.
- Hamstring Stretch: Place one heel on a slightly raised surface. Then, with a straightened back, slowly bend forward at the hip and bring your chest close to your thigh. Hold this position for 30 seconds and repeat at least three times for each leg.
- Piriformis Stretch: Lie on your back with both knees bent and your feet flat on the mat. Cross the right ankle over the left knee, so that the heel is at the base of the opposite thigh. Slowly pull the knee up to your chest until you feel a stretch in your lower back. Hold the position for 30 seconds before switching legs.
- Child’s Pose: Kneel on the mat, keeping your knees as wide as possible. Let your big toes touch each other. Then, slowly move and sit back toward your heels. Let your upper body fold toward the floor and extend your arms and place your palms on the floor. Hold the position for as long as 30 seconds.
- Pelvic Tilt: Lie on the mat with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Extend your arms and keep your palms facing down, making sure to maintain the natural curve of your back. Inhale and slowly lift your pelvis upward until you feel a stretch in your lower back. Exhale as you return to the original position. Do 5 to 10 repetitions of this exercise.
While stretches help relieve lower back pain, it is best if they are individualized according to your needs, and you are guided by a specialist on how to do them. You want to only do exercises that are recommended to you by a rehabilitation specialist.
Furthermore, it is important to find out the underlying cause of your back pain before the condition progresses to a point where non-surgical treatments no longer provide relief. A back pain specialist can assess your lower back pain and design a comprehensive treatment plan that includes different stretches and other therapeutic exercises you can do at home.
Low Back Pain Treatment in Delaware
At Delaware Back Pain, our providers focus on treating and rehabilitating patients with back pain and injuries. Our team consists of board-certified pain management specialists, physiatrists, chiropractors, rehabilitation specialists, and a psychologist – and we work together to give you the rapid, lasting results from back pain treatment. We have a superior rehabilitation therapy program that offers the full spectrum of care for rehabilitation and includes one-on-one sessions with a rehabilitation specialist throughout the course of your treatment.
Find out how we can improve lower back pain without resorting to surgery. To schedule a consultation, call our clinic nearest you or use our convenient appointment request form. We look forward to helping you get back to normal.
