7 Easy Back Exercises for Spine Pain Relief

Back pain or spine pain is a common experience for adults. In fact, studies show back pain is the top reason individuals seek emergency care and lose many hours of work. The typical response to back pain is to lie in bed or on the couch, avoiding any physical activity.

However, a lack of movement can slow down healing and may make neck, upper, and lower back pain worse. After talking to your doctor, it might be wise to stay active and avoid habits that can cause back pain, such as poor posture and putting excess pressure on the back.

In this article, we’ll discuss easy back exercises for spine pain relief:

Ask Your Doctor Before Getting Started

You can do the exercises below at home. However, it’s important to consult a doctor to customize a workout plan for your specific pain severity. According to pain specialists at Oklahoma Interventional Spine & Pain, personalized treatments address the root cause of your pain.

Pain specialists can combine holistic approaches like exercise and modern interventions; radio-frequency ablation, epidural steroid injection, and medical branch block injection to prevent surgery.

Easy Back Exercises for Managing Spine Pain

1. Knee-to-chest stretch

Knee-to-chest stretching elongates lower back muscles to relieve tension and pain in the spine. To do knee-to-chest stretches, lie on your back, knees bent, and feet flat on the surface.

Pull one knee to the chest using both hands, then tighten your abdominals as you press your spine on the floor. Hold for about five seconds, return to the starting point, and switch to the other knee.

2. Lower back rotational stretch

The goal of doing a rotational stretch is to strengthen your core and lessen lower back tension. The correct way to do rotational stretches is by lying on your back, knees bent, and feet flat on the floor. Your shoulders should be firm on the floor, and your arms stretched to the side.

Now roll the bent knees to the side slowly and rest them on the floor. Hold on to this position for 5-10 seconds, relax, and turn on the opposite side. Repeat each stretch 2-3 times every morning and evening.

3. Cat-cow pose

This yoga pose is effective in enhancing spine flexibility while stretching your neck, chest, and shoulders. How do you do cat-cow?

With your hands and knees firmly on the ground, inhale while looking up, allowing your belly to fill with air. Then exhale, tucking your chin towards your chest, and arch your spine to the ceiling. Repeat this for at least two minutes.

4. Bird-dog

This workout is ideal for strengthening the core, hips, and back muscles. It helps enhance your posture, improve motion, and relieve low back pain. To perform the bird-dog exercise, start with your hands on your knees on the floor.

Tense the muscles surrounding your abdomen, then stretch your right hand out in front of your body. Maintaining a balanced position, stretch your left leg and extend it behind your body. Hold for 15 seconds, relax, then switch to the other side.

5. Glute bridge

What this exercise does is strengthen the glutes (back, buttocks, and hamstring muscles) to stabilize the spine. By strengthening these muscles, you can reduce tension in the spine and decrease back pain.

Start performing glute bridge exercises by lying on your back, bend your knees, and keep your feet flat on the floor. With your shoulders and feet on the floor, lift your hips gently. Keep your glute muscles engaged for at least five seconds before relaxing. (But don’t overstretch your back.)

6. Shoulder blade squeeze

This exercise is all about strengthening muscles in the upper back. You can do it while standing or sitting straight. Just pull your shoulder blades together, hold for five seconds, relax, and repeat three or five times.

7. Seated rotational stretch

This simple stretch exercise offers back pain relief, especially if you have sciatica pain. To enjoy the pain relief seated rotational stretch offers, do it right. Sit on an armless chair or stool.

Cross your right leg over the left leg, and brace your left elbow against the outside of your right knee. Then slowly twist and stretch to the side and hold for about 10 seconds. Repeat on the opposite side. Aim to do this stretch 3-5 times on each side twice every day.

Why Exercise Can Provide Back Pain Relief

When done correctly, in a controlled and progressive manner, back exercises can relieve spine pain by:

• Strengthening muscles that support the spine, reducing pressure from spinal joints and discs.
• Improving blood and oxygen circulation to muscles and ligaments around the spine. This aids in fixing damaged muscle cells and fiber.
• Reduce stiffness and tension in muscles and joints in the back, hence improving movement and alleviating pain.
• Boost the release of endorphins and endocannabinoids, which reduce inflammation and stress, two major causes of back pain.

Conclusion

The discomfort and soreness associated with spine pain or back pain shouldn’t prevent you from staying active. Hopefully, you’ll be able to do low-intensity exercises that target the spine to reduce pain. Regular exercising can help lessen back pain by strengthening the core, reducing muscle tension around the spine, and improving blood flow.