Today, Chartered Physiotherapist, Rob Hanley, takes us through his top 3 stretches to help relieve low back pain.
The Scurge of Low Back Pain
How many of us at some point in our lives have bent over to pick up a pencil and suddenly our back ceases up. Sound familiar? Well it is. In fact 80% of us will get a bout of low back pain at some point in our lives*. The good news is that there are loads of things we can do to help it.
Low Back Pain is Common
It’s no surprise that we get sore backs. Our spines love to move and they tend to get tight when we don’t stretch and move them regularly. They really don’t like sitting for hours on end, yet this is exactly what some many of us spend our days doing- be it at our desks, in the car or on the couch at home.
Top Stretches for Low Back Pain
The good news is that we can fight low back pain and get relief, if we do the right things.
Gentle, pain free stretching can be one great way to loosen up a stiff and painful lower back and help get back on track quickly**
Here are my 3 favourites:
Cat & Dog Stretch:
Great For:
- Loosening out a stiff and tight lower back
- Stretching the mid back
- Pain relief
Cobra Stretch:
Great For:
- Elongating your lower back
- Undoing the tightness of sitting
Child Pose
Great For:
- Stretching deep into the low back muscles
- Loosening out the shoulders
Hope you enjoy these exercises as much as we do. If you would like to chat to our expert physiotherapists on your back problem you can contact us on 061 530 030 or drop us an email at info@totalcarephysio.ie.
We’d love to answer any questions you have.
* Pengel 2003
**Stretches must be pain free and never done if they provoke symptoms