According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, although low back pain can be quite debilitating and painful, it is temporary in approximately 90% of cases, and pain improves without surgery.
Lower back pain is an issue for several people. For some, back pain happens due to poor posture or weak muscles. Strengthening the back will aid in relieving lower back pain and reduce the possibility of injury. Back pain exercises at home help develop the strength of muscles that support the spine, so you feel less severe low back pain.
Add these 32 Effective Exercises to Lose Belly Fat For Men and Women to strengthen your core and avoid injury.
A 2015 survey in BMJ Open concluded that being overweight or obese increases the possibility of lower back pain in men. Furthermore, lower back exercises at home can also help you burn enough calories during your workouts; you can start to lose weight.
Table of Contents
Why Is It Important to Perform Lower back exercises at home?
Lower back pain is one of the frequent causes of visits to the doctor. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), around 80 percent of adults feel low back pain at some time in their lifetimes. Low back pain is the most common cause of job-related disability.
In the United States of America, low back pain is the fifth most common reason for all physician visits. More than 85 percent of these doctor visits are for nonspecific low back pain or pain not induced by a disease or spinal abnormality.
Muscle spasms, muscle strains, nerve injuries, or degenerative changes might cause some nonspecific back pain.
Along with these back pain exercises at home, adopt a healthy diet to incorporate these 32 Foods That Burn Belly Fat Fast and successfully lose weight.
What are the Most Effective Back Pain Exercises at Home?
A 2017 study confirmed that Pilates exercise programs reduce back pain and decrease perceived disability in individuals with lower back pain. Pilates exercises help improve flexibility, balance, and core strength and are particularly effective if you experience back pain.
A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine shows strong evidence that practicing yoga might have a short-term effect on healing lower back pain.
Research has found that strengthening workouts can be beneficial in treating low back pain.
Gluteal activation and strength training might help void chronic back pain. Add these 24 exercises to get bigger buttocks science proven to your pain-free journey.
Effective Back Pain Exercises at Home Video
Back pain exercises at home are essential to back pain relief, especially if you do not want to take medication. They help condition your back and make it more flexible over time.
Check with your doctor or therapist before beginning these back pain exercises at the home video to be sure they are right for your condition.
1- Wall Breathing Stretch/ Leg up the wall
This stretch relies on breathing and gravity. It helps with headaches, boosts energy, and also relieves lower back pain. Leg up the wall is among the effective back pain exercises at home videos.
How to Do Wall Breathing Stretch:
- How to Do Wall Breathing Stretch.
- Sit down as close to the wall as possible, and lie down with the rolled-up towel supporting your lower back.
- Then raise your legs towards the wall, and have your bump close to the wall.
- Breath in and out
- Pull in your legs between sets to have a break if you need to.
- 8 Long Breaths 4-5 times
2- Knee-To-Chest Stretch
According to Alberta Health, avoid doing the knee-to-chest exercise if it causes or increases back or leg pain.
How to Do Knee-to-chest stretch:
- Lie down on your back, your knees flexed, and your feet flat on the floor. Applying both hands, pull up one knee, and hold it to your chest.
- Contract your abdominals and hold your spine to the floor. Press for 5 seconds.
- Return to the beginning position and continue with the opposite leg.
- Return to the beginning position and then repeat with both legs at the same time.
- Repeat every stretch two to three times — preferably once in the morning and once at night.
3- Double Knees Chest
Double Knees and Chest creates space in the lower spine where many of us carry tension. It is a beneficial back pain exercise at the home video to add to your stretch.
How to Do Double Knees Chest:
- Lie down with your lower back flat against the floor.
- Pull both knees up to your chest while your lower back is flat still against the floor.
- Focus on deep breathing.
- If your stomach is in the way, open up your legs, it will also stretch the inner thigh muscles.
- Eight long breaths 4-5 times.
4- Spinal Rocks
Spinal rocks are excellent back pain exercises at home and also warm-up and cool-down exercises to increase spinal mobility. They can also be practiced to promote core stability and control.
How to do Spinal Rocks:
- Lie on your back, pull back your knees towards your chest.
- In this position, push your knees against your hands quickly to gain momentum.
- Try to do a sit-up at the same time, and it will create a rocking motion.
- Initially, it will be hard to gain rhythm; try this when you feel confident.
- 20-30 rocks – 4-5 times.
5- Supine Piriformis Stretch
Supine Piriformis Stretch tightens the lower back, glute, and piriformis. Add these back pain exercises to your daily stretch routine.
How to Do Supine Piriformis Stretch:
- Pull the leg you would like to stretch over your supporting knee.
- Once you are stable, grab the supporting leg and pull it towards your chest.
- 20-40 seconds – 4-5 times.
6- Pigeon Poses
Pigeon Poses are among the most effective back workouts at home and useful back pain exercises at home.
How to Do Pigeon Poses:
- Start in a lunge posture with your stretching leg in front of your supporting knee.
- Slowly collapse down with the stretching knee point away from your body.
- Try to lean into your knee.
- If you can, try to move your opposite shoulder towards your knee.
- 20-40 seconds, 4-5 times.
7-Child Pose
Child Pose is a good back workout at home that helps release fatigue and energizes your body. If you are feeling back pain, try adding this stretch to your back pain exercises at home.
How to Do Child Pose:
- Go on all four limbs, and with both arms, reach as far as possible with your elbows locked and your arms straight.
- Then lean back with your shoulders relaxed.
- You will be feeling the stretch in the lower back and shoulders.
- Focus on breathing deeply with long breaths.
- 20- 40 seconds, 4-5 times.
8- Cobra Pose
Cobra pose is a back workout at home to practice to strengthen the spine, relieve stress and fatigue, and decrease the stiffness of the lower back.
How to Do Cobra Pose:
- Lay on your stomach, then place your hands by your sides at each chest level.
- Push up while leaving your waist on the floor.
- Try to relax your back and abdomen and allow the stretch in your stomach and lower back to happen.
- Focus on breathing deeply to increase movement in the spine.
- 20-40 seconds, 4-5 times.
9- QL Stretch
The QL promotes proper posture and helps stabilize your spine when you bend to the side or stretch your lower back.
Therefore, incorporating some QL stretches into your back workout at home and fitness routine can increase flexibility in your back and relieve old aches and pains while helping stop new ones.
How to Do QL Stretch:
- Lay on the ground and pull the leg on the side you want to stretch to the other.
- Try to leave the same side shoulder on the floor while you are holding the stretch.
- To raise the intensity of the stretch, try to extend your leg and pull the leg closer to your chest.
- 20- 40 seconds, 4-5 times.
10- PSOAS Stretch
The psoas alters our posture and assists in stabilizing the spine. Being out of balance can be a vital contributor to low back and pelvic pain.
By incorporating back workouts and back pain exercises to strengthen and lengthen the psoas, you can release habitual muscle-holding patterns, enhance your low-back alignment, and build a more balanced posture.
How to Do PSOAS Stretch:
- Go in a lunge position with the chest up and shoulders up.
- Squeeze your glutes and drive your hips towards them.
- Bend your front knee more to increase the stretch.
- 20-40 seconds, 4-5 times.
- Be careful not to make a mistake by leaning your body back, and you can hurt yourself more.
11- Hamstring stretch
Stretching the hamstrings will help keep your muscles loose and flexible, improving posture, increasing flexibility, and preventing lower back pain.
Adding hamstring stretches to your back pain exercises at home is good practice.
How to Do Hamstring stretch:
- Sit on the floor with the leg you are stretching straight.
- Lock your knee in front of you.
- The other leg is bent, and it is side.
- Now lean forward with your body and try to reach as fast as you can comfortably and hold this position where you feel a stretch.
- 20-40 seconds, 4-5 times.
12- Butterfly pose
The butterfly posture is a perfect back workout at home and also an excellent way to stretch and strengthen back muscles.
How to Do Butterfly pose:
- Sit down on the floor, flex both knees, and bring your feet together.
- Exercise your hands, open your feet like a book, and push your knees toward the floor with your elbows.
- If you need more stretch, try to extend your arms out in front of you.
- Stay in this posture for five breaths (about 30 seconds).
13- Pelvic Tilt
These back workouts at home help strengthen your abdominal muscles and stretch the muscles in your lower back.
How to Do Pelvic Tilt:
- Lie down your back on the floor in a neutral position with your legs flexed and your toes facing forward.
- Stretch your belly button toward your spine, pushing your pelvis toward the ceiling.
- Squeeze your gluteus and hip muscles as you bend your pelvis forward. Keep for 5 seconds.
- Try to do five sets of 20 repetitions.
14- Bridge
Bridge poses are great back workouts at home. They help strengthen the back, glutes, legs, and ankles and calm the body by alleviating stress and mild depression.
How to Do Bridge:
- Lie down on your back, your knees flexed, and your feet flat on the floor. Resting your shoulders and head on the floor, stretch your abdominal and gluteal muscles.
- Then lift your hips to form a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.
- Try to keep the position long enough to perform three deep breaths.
- Return to the origin position.
- Begin with five routines each day and progressively work up to 30.
15- Lower back rotations / Trunk Rotation Exercise
Lower back rotations or trunk rotations can loosen tight muscles in the back. They are great back pain exercises at home.
How to Do Trunk Rotation Exercise:
- Lie down on your back.
- Stretch your knees and rotate from one side to the other.
- Try to make sure moves are slow and careful so that you do not cause injury.
- Do not focus on raising your back, but rather try to make movements more fluid.
16- Downward Dog
Downward Dog is an excellent back workout at home that calms the brain and assists in relieving stress and mild depression.
It also helps energize the body and stretch the shoulders, hamstrings, calves, arches, and hands.
How to Do Downward Dog:
- Begin on all fours, with wrists in line with shoulders and toes tucked.
- Push your hips up and back on your exhale, aligning your legs.
- Engage your arms while keeping in mind to hold your shoulders away from your ears.
- Engage your core and legs, raising through your kneecaps.
- Push through your heels and “pedal” your feet back and forth if you feel tight.
17- Upward Facing Dog
Upward Facing Dog is a useful back workout at home that helps strengthen the spine, arms, and wrists. It also helps improve posture by stretching the anterior spine and strengthening the posterior spine.
Upward Facing Dog is among lower back exercises at home that help to relieve depression, fatigue, and pain of sciatica.
How to Do Upward Facing Dog:
- Start lying on your belly with your legs stretched straight back behind you.
- Plant your palms alongside your ribs so that your elbows flexed about 90 degrees and your forearms are relatively perpendicular to the ground.
- On an inhale, push firmly into your palms and straighten your arms, raising your torso, hips, and the tops of your thighs off the ground.
- Rest your shoulders away from your ears, then start to roll your shoulders back and find the movement of pulling your chest forward through your upper arms.
- Rest for 5-10 deep breaths before transitioning to Downward-Facing Dog or lowering back down onto the belly.
18- Standing Forward Fold
Standing forward fold helps elongate the spine, stretches the entire backside of the body, and increases flexibility and blood circulation to the legs, torso, and brain.
Practicing as part of your back workouts at home is an excellent stretch.
How to Do Standing Forward Fold:
- Stand tall, with feet hip-distance apart.
- Take a deep breath to inhale, and as you exhale, lean forward from your hips, pushing your palms down on the ground, shoulder-distance aside.
- Make your head hang, relax your neck, and look at your shins.
- With each breath in the pose, lift and lengthen your tailbone to the sky. Inhale and exhale through your nose for 30 seconds.
- If you sense any discomfort, keep a slight bend in your knees.
19- Figure 4 Stretch
Figure 4 stretch helps relieve tension in the lower back and hips and develops the outside of the hips and inner thighs.
How to Do Figure 4 Stretch:
- Lie down on your back, your feet on the ground behind your hips, your knees facing up.
- Lift your left knee near your chest and open your hip, putting your ankle on your right thigh just over the knee.
- Lift your right foot off the floor and stretch your arms around the back of your right thigh, interlacing your fingers while drawing your right knee towards your chest.
- Hold your feet flexed to protect your knees and breath through your nose. Hold for 30-60 seconds and repeat the opposite side.
20- Lying Spinal Twist
Lying Spinal Twist helps alleviate pain or stiffness in the lower back, spine, and hips. It also aids in stretching the lower back, hips, middle spine, upper back, chest, and shoulders.
How to Do Lying Spinal Twist:
- Lie down on your back and bring both knees in towards your chest.
- Keep your left knee in your chest and align your right leg on the floor.
- Take your bent left knee across your body (to the right), holding your shoulder blades flat on the floor.
- Turn your head, gazing over your left shoulder, performing your twist.
- Hold for 30-60 seconds, inhaling and exhaling slowly through your nose.
- Repeat the opposing side.
21- Thread the Needle Exercise
Thread the Needle postures are perfect back workouts at home as they open the shoulders and stretch the spine.
These back pain exercises at home are great for both beginners and advanced practitioners and might also help relieve chronic shoulder or back pain.
How to Do Thread the Needle Exercise:
- Start on your hands and knees. Put your wrists directly under your shoulders and your knees right under your hips.
- On an exhalation, slide your right arm beneath your left arm with your palm facing up.
- Keep your left elbow lifting and your hips lifted.
- Keep for up to one minute and release by pressing through your left hand and gently sliding your right side out.
- Try to repeat the pose on the opposing side for an equal length of time.
22- Cat and Cow
According to Dr. Weil, the cat and cow pose relieves lower back pain and sciatica and also stretches muscles of the hips, back, and abdomen.
How to Do Cat and Cow:
- Start position with your hands and knees on the floor or ground.
- On the exhale, round your spine towards the ceiling and picture you stretching your belly button up towards your spine, genuinely engaging your abs.
- On your inhale, arch your back and let your belly relax and go loose. Uplift your head and tailbone towards the ceiling.
- Proceed flowing back and forth from Cat Pose to Cow Posture.
- Try to repeat for at least ten rounds or till your spine is warmed up.
23- Glute Stretch
Glute Stretches are excellent back workouts at home. They assist in stretching your glutes and help relieve tightness and tension.
Also, glute stretches can improve your flexibility and range of motion and lessen your risk for injury (1)
How to Do Glute Stretch:
- Sit down on the ground and stretch your legs out in front of you.
- Holding your back straight, lift your left leg, and put your left ankle on your right knee.
- Bend slightly forward to deepen the stretch.
- Continue for 20 seconds, then return to the opposing side.
24- Hip Flexor Stretch
For people in a sedentary society or working in an office environment, performing daily hip flexor stretches are essential to counterbalance the prolonged hip flexion of sitting for hours.
Hip flexor stretches are also crucial preparation for backbends, enabling the hips to extend fully so that we can avoid compression in the lower back (1)
How to Do Hip Flexor Stretch:
- Begin by kneeling on one leg on the floor or a mat.
- Tuck your pelvis below, which should create a stretch in the front.
- If you need a more intense stretch, bring the arm up on the knee on the floor or mat.
25- Kneeling Arm and Leg Reach
Kneeling arm and leg reach teaches core stability, which is something essential for those suffering from back pain (1)
How to Do Kneeling Arm and Leg Reach:
- Begin on your hands and knees.
- Gently lift the opposite arm and leg off the floor simultaneously and stretch.
- Keep a neutral spine and activate the core by drawing your navel to your spine through the movement.
- Gently try to put your hand and knee down at the same time.
- If this is too hard, you can begin by just lifting one arm or leg off the floor.
26- Bird Dog
The bird dog is an easy core workout that develops stability, encourages a neutral spine, and relieves low back pain.
Bird dog reinforces your core, hips, and back muscles.
How to Do Bird Dog:
- Start on all fours in the tabletop pose.
- Put your knees under your hips and your hands under your shoulders.
- Keep a neutral spine by engaging your abdominal muscles.
- Lift your right arm and left leg, holding your shoulders and hips parallel to the floor.
- Keep this pose for a few seconds, then lower back down to the origin position.
- Lift your left arm and right leg, holding this position for a few seconds.
- Return to the starting position.
27- MacKenzie Press-Ups
MacKenzie Press-Ups are exercises to treat back pain generally used by physical therapists (1).
How to Do MacKenzie Press Ups:
- Rest on your stomach. Put your arms at your sides.
- Rotate your head to the side or face down.
- Continue for two to three minutes.
- Try to repeat up to eight times during the day.
28- Hip Extension
Hip extension exercises are essential because your hip extensor muscles, including the glutes and hamstrings, are major movers for your body.
Developing strong glutes is vital for your pelvic alignment and lower back support.
How to Do Hip Extension:
- Lie on the floor with your feet flat on the ground, shoulder-width apart, and your knees flexed at around 90 degrees.
- Lift your hips up by pushing through your heels and flexing your glutes (butt muscles). Allow all other muscles to rest relaxed.
- Hold your hips up with your glutes flexed for 5 seconds, then lower back down steadily.
Final Thoughts
Lower back pain is a common issue. It can also be painful, damaging not just one’s health but one’s quality of life.
Incorporate these 28 simple back pain exercises at home; they are great for even for people with a busy life. After a while, you will observe their soothing effects, possibly eliminate your pain forever, and experience a pain-free lifestyle.
Start with aerobic exercise such as running, and learn now how to start running when overweight and out of shape.
