Best Low Back Stretches in 2022 for Back Pain!

Low Back Pain can become debilitating and extremely annoying when it continues to annoy you throughout the day. Our practitioners have put together for you the Top 3 Low Back Stretches that will help alleviate and minimise your Low Back pain!

Lower Back Erector Spinae Stretch (Lower Back Muscles)
Procedure: (2 Variations)

• (Seated) Sit on the floor, positioning one leg straight. Cross the other leg over the top
• Placing your foot on the outside of the thigh
• Reach your opposite arm over the crossed leg and use it as a lever
  to rotate your trunk.
  
• (Laying on your back) Lay on your back with one knee bent
• The other leg extended.
• Roll the bent knee over the extended knee
• Pull it towards the ground with your arm.
  

Recommended Tasks:

• Hold the stretch for 30 seconds.
• Perform the stretch 3 times.
• Rest for 15-30 seconds between stretches.
• Complete this stretch twice per day.
  Special Instructions:
  • Take the muscle to a point of gentle and comfortable pulling
  • If you feel increasing tightness, discomfort or pain, ease off the stretch until you find a point your muscle can relax
  • Breathe normally throughout, focusing on relaxation

Quadratus Lumborum Stretch (Lower Back stretch)
Procedure: (3 Variations)

• (Seated) With your body seated, maintain an upright position and with the arm of the side that needs to be stretched
• Move it overhead and lean across
  
• (Standing) put the leg of the side being stretched behind the other
• Reach with your arm overhead
  
• (Standing Ver.2) Using a support with your feet placed together.
• Reach your arms overhead
• reach over to the support to stabilise yourself.

Recommended Tasks:

• Hold the stretch for 30 seconds.
• Perform the stretch 3 times.
• Rest for 15-30 seconds between stretches.
• Complete this stretch twice per day.
  Special Instructions:
  • Take the muscle to a point of gentle and comfortable pulling
  • If you feel increasing tightness, discomfort or pain, ease off the stretch until you find a point your
  muscle can relax
  • Breathe normally throughout, focusing on relaxation

Piriformis Stretch (Buttock Stretch)
Procedure: (3 Variations)

• (Seated) Sit on the floor with your back against a wall (if possible)
• Start with both legs straight
• Bring one into your chest (the side needing stretch)
• Ensure you keep the foot on the ground
  
• (Lying down) Lay on your back with your knees bent.
• Cross one leg (needing the stretch)
• Rest the ankle on the on the outside of the other thigh.
• Reach through and grab the back of your thigh
• Pull it up towards your chest gently until you feel a stretch
  
• (Facing the floor) Start on all fours (knees and palms on floor).
• Cross one leg so the ankle is in front of the other knee.
• Gently slide the body backwards
• Keeping the lower leg on the ground.

Recommended Tasks:

• Hold the stretch for 30 seconds.
• Perform the stretch 3 times.
• Rest for 15-30 seconds between stretches.
• Complete this stretch twice per day.
  Special Instructions:
  • Take the muscle to a point of gentle and comfortable pulling
  • If you feel increasing tightness, discomfort or pain, ease off the stretch until you find a point your muscle can relax
  • Breathe normally throughout, focusing on relaxation

*Note: If you are suffering from severe Low back pain, shooting pains down the legs, troubles lifting limbs due to soreness, sciatica or joint pain and need more than just a good stretch our team of practitioners are always happy to help and bookings are available online 7 days a week!

https://themelbournechiropractor.com.au/book-now

What Can Our Team Do To Help?

Depending on the severity of the injury or area of concern our practitioners will treat accordingly to your complaint. Treatments that may be provided but are not limited to include:

• Spinal manipulation, Activator Methods, Drop Piece, SOT and other adjustive techniques can help alleviate joints that have restriction such as spinal segments and joints (LeFebvre, Peterson & Haas, 2012)
• PNF/PIR/prescribed stretching – Stretching has shown to reduce pain, improve functionality of the wrist and hand also maintains strength and improves patients in both long and short-term outcomes.
• Remedial Massage, Trigger point therapy or use of handheld massager – Have shown to decrease pain/tenderness, enhance both range of motion and quality of life and influence flexibility (Shah et al., 2015) (Imtiyaz, Veqar & Shareef, 2014)
• Advice on daily living activities/diet – This enables advice on how to change to make healthy        actions into habits and may offer a valuable alternative with potential for long-term   impact. (Gardner, Lally & Wardle, 2012)
• Prescribed exercises – produce more beneficial outcomes in terms of increased strength, improved function and reduced pain scores. (Fernandes, Pedrinelli & Hernandez, 2015)
• Dry Needling or Cupping to the surrounding musculature to help decrease tension and inflammation around the area of the hand and forearm.