You’re walking down the street. Cooking in your kitchen. Sitting at your desk. Wherever you are, it’s there. That faithful, unfortunate companion: Lower back pain. Yeah, no thanks. What’s a dude to do?
You could ignore it and work out through the pain, use a foam roller to no avail, or check out these tips from Men’s Health Advisory Board member and physical therapist Daniel Giordano, DPT, PT, CSCS and Cameron Yuen, DPT, PT, CSCS and finally find relief. Needless to say, we choose the latter.
In our new video series The Fix, a physical therapist will guide you through step-by-step solutions for common ailments. Here, a deep dive into five stellar moves to relieve lower back pain.
5 Lower Back Stretches for Better Mobility
Lumbar Windshield
Lying flat on your back in a supine position with the knees bent and feet flat on the ground (a little wider than shoulder width), drop your knees down from side-to-side. Repeat five times per side.
Figure 4 Lumbar Windshield
A tweak on the original with one leg in the figure 4 position, it works wonders by using one foot to press down on the opposite knee, enabling you to create a stretch through the top hip and quad to target the anterior and lateral aspect. Perform five reps on each side, working within a comfortable range of motion. Work to improve that ROM over time.
Scorpion Pose
Roll over onto your stomach. Keeping your hips on the ground, bending one heel towards your glute. Extend that hip up and then rotate your leg across your body. Alternate each side, moving your chest off the ground and rotate your head along with the movement.
Child’s Pose
Shift into the quadruped position (on all fours), the sit back on your heels while keeping your hands straight out and planted on the floor. Walk your hands from the left to the right in a clock-like rotation to enhance the stretch.
Pigeon Pose
Give your glutes some love with the pigeon pose. Start in a pushup position, then thread one leg up towards the front of your body and drop the outside of your shin on the ground. This position focuses on your glutes and hips while stretching out your lower back (feel free to place a yoga block under your glute if that helps you get into the position).
Don’t worry about extending all the way into each pose, especially if you’re just starting out. Increasing your range of motion will come with time and practice. Focus on proper form and run through the five moves in these video consistently, and sweet relief awaits. For even more moves to relieve your pain, check out eight stretches to help your back feel better.
“Back pain does not have to be debilitating,” Giordano says. “You can still do your normal activities and normal routine, just modified. Use these exercises to increase mobility and decrease stress on your lower back, so you can continue to do everything you want to do without tension in your lower back.”
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io
Comments are closed.