Three exercises to eliminate lower back pain

by Dana Rygwelski and Mark Rogers

More than 100 million Americans suffer from low-back pain according to the Institute of Medicine. For most, the cause of this pain is lack of strength. Daily activities – sitting at a computer, picking up kids and poor posture – put the body into unnatural positions exacerbating weaknesses.

Medication is used to treat pain but doesn’t address the cause.  And medication isn’t the only solution to a low-back pain-free life. The following three exercises will strengthen your back to help reduce pain.

Chair Squat
This movement will strengthen your legs and glutes to provide support in everyday activities.

What to do:

• Set a chair to a height that is comfortable to you
• Hinge slightly at the hips
• Sit back on the chair by pushing your knees out keeping your chest upright
• Squeeze your glutes and hamstrings and stand-up off the box

Couch extensions
Hip extensions will increase blood flow to your low-back bringing more nutrients to the muscles while increasing strength with your body weight.

What to do:

• Lean over and support your pelvis on the arm or back of the couch
• Push your hips into the the couch and squeeze your glutes
• Drive heels toward the ceiling

Superman

The superman is a full body movement that uses the front and back of your body to move your arms and legs in a vertical-motion plain. The contraction of the muscles will increase overall body strength and blood flow to the low-back.

What to do:

• Lay face-down on the ground
• Place arms straight over your head
• Squeeze your shoulders, back, abs, glutes and legs driving your heels and hands to the ceiling.
• Hold for 5 seconds
• Slowly lower your heels and hands back down to the ground

For all these exercises, repeat the movement a total of 60 times. Start with 6 sets of 10 reps of each movement and increase reps as you are comfortable.

As with anything, it takes time to notice a change. Ease in slowly and complete the routine three times a week for four weeks with your body weight.

If you have any questions about these movements, how to progress these movements or other exercises that can strengthen your back, contact us to schedule a free consult. (Phone: (512) 502-5032 | Email: info@austinsimplyfit.com