6 Easy Back Pain Exercises To Do at Home

5.6.2021 0 comments

Author: Trisha Houghton, CNS, ASIST
Medically reviewed by: Tricia Pingel, NMD

Back pain is, sadly, all too common in our modern world where so many of us spend all day sitting down. Per the CDC, in 2019, 39% of American adults had back pain within the last three months.

Even if you have good posture and sit in an ergonomic chair, spending more time seated than standing will take a toll on your lower back. It increases pressure on the discs in your spine, and poor posture can make things even worse.

Here’s the truth: activity and movement are the only truly effective methods of treating and preventing lower back pain. 

You need to be proactive and counteract back pain by spending more time moving around your office, home, or wherever you are. This is among the most important things you can do for chronic low back pain and other back issues. Doing so will not only ease your back pain but reduce your probability of dealing with these pains in the future.

Ready to try back pain exercises at home? Here are some of the best, easiest home exercises you can do to help alleviate and prevent back pain and strengthen your back muscles.

Stand and Stretch: A Simple Way to Loosen Your Back

This sounds really simple, and it absolutely is! The truth is that just standing up every hour or so will help to stretch out your spinal muscles and get the blood flowing to your legs once more.

A few simple stretches—such as side, forward, and backbends—will do wonders to help restore full mobility to your lower back. They can also counteract the negative effects of sitting down for so many hours.

Make it a point to stand up every hour. Spend 2-5 minutes walking around your home or office, stretching your back, and loosening up your back muscles. You’ll find that adding just a little bit more activity to your day can make a world of difference when it comes to combating back pain.

You may wonder whether this is too good to be true. Well, researchers have explored the merits of self-administered stretching for chronic non-specific back pain with surprising results.

In a 2023 research study published in the Journal of Physiotherapy, researchers hoped to find out how self-stretching compared to more formal motor control exercises. During the study, a group of 100 study participants were broken into two groups – one that did self-stretching exercises, and another that did motor control exercises.

Per the results of the study, self-stretching exercises were as effective as motor control exercises when it came to reducing back pain intensity and improving disability and flexibility.

Toe Touches: A Full-Body Stretch for Your Spine 

Toe touches are a beautifully simple exercise that will stretch your spinal muscles, loosen your joints, and give you a little bit of a workout. Best of all, it requires no weights, nothing at all except a bit of room to move freely.

Here is how to perform the exercise:

1. Stand with your feet spread slightly farther than shoulder-width apart. Keep your right and left leg straight.
2. Keeping your knees hip width apart and straight, bend forward to touch your right foot with your left hand, then come back up to an upright position. Doing this with your knees bent will interfere with the deepness of the stretch.
3. Now bend forward to touch your left foot with your right hand (without your legs bent), then come up again.
4. Repeat 8-12 times on the right and left side.

Take things slowly and focus on the stretch of your side, spinal, and upper and lower leg muscles as you reach for your toes. You’ll find it’s an amazing way to stay mobile during a long day spent sitting down!

If you’re having trouble touching your toes, give yourself some grace. Instead of touching your feet, you can touch your right knee with your left hand, and then your left knee with your right hand.

As you’re reaching down toward your lower body, stop at any point that you begin to feel pain and try other stretches and aids. These can include foam rolling, static stretching, or partner-assisted stretching. These exercises should loosen you up and make it easier to do a toe reach.

Note: It’s very important not to do this stretch if you have pre-existing conditions (like a herniated disc) or if your back or core muscles are extremely inflexible. Doing so can damage other muscles and result in more pain.

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Cat-Cow-Downward Dog: A Yoga Sequence for Back Flexibility

This combination of Yoga poses you can do at home will help to loosen everything along the posterior hemisphere of your body. These include your neck, shoulders, back, lower back, hips, glutes, hamstrings, and calves.

You can do it on a Yoga mat or carpet to cushion your bent knees, or on bare floors. Do it barefoot, in your socks, or even in your shoes. It’s highly effective and easy to do anywhere.

Here are the steps to perform the exercise:

1. Assume the starting position – get on your hands and knees (your left and right leg should be parallel, and so should your left and right arm). Ensure you’re in a comfortable, balanced position.
2. Slowly round your back downward and slowly lift your head as far backward as you can.
3. Feel the stretch for a couple of seconds, then reverse it by bringing your chin to your chest.
4. Pull your belly button in and slowly arch your back as high into the air as possible. This is the Cat-Cow part of the exercise.
5. Repeat it 5 times, then transition into Downward Dog—on your hands and feet, with your bottom high in the air and your buttock muscles engaged, knees straight.
6. Remain in Downward Dog for 15-30 seconds, and you’ll be amazed by how loose your back feels!

These stretches are fantastic for boosting your flexibility, and they release tension along the upper and lower spine. And if you focus on mindfulness and deep breathing while alternating poses, you can reap additional benefits, like easier relaxation and stress reduction.

Note: You may have heard of the bird dog for back pain; it works more muscles but is a little more difficult for beginners to master.

Ceiling Reach: Stretching to Elongate Your Spine 

This is an excellent movement to help loosen and lengthen your spine after long hours spent sitting hunched over your keyboard, desk, or table. It can also help with pain from nerve compression.

Here is how to do it:

1. Stand with your feet spread roughly shoulder width apart, legs straight, and arms by your side.
2. Take in a deep breath, then reach your arms toward the ceiling as high as you can.
3. Imagine reaching with every muscle from your head to your toes, even coming up on your tip toes.
4. Hold for 5 seconds, then slowly return your arms to your sides and relax your body.
5. Repeat 5-10 times.

This movement will stretch you out, help to elongate your spine, and straighten your posture. You’ll find that when you sit back down, you’ll have a much easier time sitting straight with less strain on your lower back.

Also, practicing more stretches for back pain is recommended to keep your symptoms in check.

Torso Twist: Loosening Your Upper Back While Sitting

This is an exercise you can do sitting down—in fact, you need a chair to help you really lean into the stretch. It’s great if you feel knots forming in your back or your spinal muscles tightening. Spending just a few minutes twisting like this can do wonders to help loosen things up.

Here is how to do it:

1. Sit a bit forward in your chair with your feet flat on the floor.
2. Reach your right arm around in front of you to grip the left armrest, and use your arms to help you twist as far to the left as possible. Twist your entire upper body, from your core to your head. Try to look all the way behind you—that will help to really maximize the stretch to your upper spinal muscles.
3. Hold the stretch for 10-15 seconds, then come back to neutral and twist to the opposite side.
4. Repeat 5-10 times per side.

Not only will this exercise loosen your upper back, but it’ll also help to lubricate your vertebral discs and increase blood circulation and oxygenation in the area. This is great for pain relief, muscle soreness, and ongoing healing.

Forward Bends: Strengthening Your Lower Back

If your back feels a bit tight, you can loosen it up with strengthening exercises like the forward bend.

Here are the steps to do it properly:

1. Stand with your feet spread wide, and place your hands behind your head.
2. Slowly lower your head and go as far down as you can.
3. Hold for a count of 2 in order to maximize the stretch, then come slowly back up to neutral upright position.
4. Repeat the forward bend 15-20 times, until you feel a nice burn in your lower back muscles.

This movement engages your lower back, hamstrings, and glutes, helping to strengthen and loosen up the stomach muscles around your core. You’ll find it’s incredibly easy, low-impact, and safe to do anywhere, anytime!

These six exercises will be an amazing addition to your day, helping you to stay loose, fit, and have proper posture. Try to go through all of them at least twice over an eight-hour day spent at your desk. After doing these back pain exercises at home, you’ll feel better than ever before!

How to Integrate These Exercises Into Your Day

All of these exercises and their benefits are well and good, but you won’t reap the benefits if you aren’t consistent and intentional. Unfortunately, many find it difficult to incorporate new exercises into their busy schedule.

Read the below helpful tips to learn how to integrate the above back pain exercises at home without added frustration, maximizing your chances of success.

• Build out your schedule, including your stretches. All you need is paper, pencil, and a couple of minutes to plan out your day. For instance, you may want to do some toe touches at 9:30 am, torso twists at 11:30am, ceiling reaches at 2:00 pm before finishing the day with forward bends. It could take several tries to nail your ideal schedule, but it’ll be worth it once you get into the groove.
• Anchor your stretches to your existing habits. If you add stretching time to tasks you typically complete during the course of a day, you’re more likely to stick to your stretching routine. For instance, you might plan your torso twists after a Zoom call or right before logging off for the day.
• Make your space stretch-ready. Stretching in a cramped space is more frustrating than anything, but if you can clear out and tailor your surroundings, you can make stretching easier and more fun. You can keep a rolled up yoga mat under a desk or table for easy access and move any unnecessary furniture elsewhere. And if you’re someone who likes visual encouragement, you can post some motivational quotes or phrases on the wall. The only limit is your imagination.
• Invite a friend. The back pain exercises we’ve gone over above can be helpful for those who want to stay loose or prevent back issues. If you’re ever around someone else who might be willing, invite them to stretch with you. It’ll serve as a source of encouragement for you. Soon you’ll be doing more difficult stretches (like plank exercises and lower back rotational stretches) and really strengthening those back extensor muscles and weak abdominal muscles.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t remind you how important it is to stay in tune with your body when doing any exercise to relieve lower back pain, upper back pain, or any other back ailment.

Be sure to modify exercises based on your pain level and how flexible you are. Don’t be afraid to skip an exercise if you’re feeling sharp pain. And take things slow. Rushing through the stretches increases your risk of injury.

If, at any time, you feel like the back exercises make the pain worse, it’s time to reach out to a medical professional. They can diagnose the issue and put you on a tailored treatment plan.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Should I exercise my back if it hurts?

Yes, the general consensus among back experts is that you should keep moving even if your back is hurting. But you will need to be selective with the types of exercises you do (ie. some won’t be able to do a knee to chest stretch, sit ups, or child’s pose when in pain). For instance, if you’re in moderate to severe pain in your lower back, it could be helpful to do fewer reps or skip deeper stretches until you’re feeling a bit better.

How do I stop unbearable back pain?

Unbearable back pain may require a professional examination and treatment. But sometimes it can be dulled with a gentle stretch, ice and heat therapy, OTC pain relievers, prescription medications, limited bed rest, and other remedies. When in doubt, see a doctor or physical therapist for urgent pain relief and a back and spine conditioning program/physical therapy.

What can be mistaken for back pain?

Back pain is routinely misdiagnosed, and it’s because many other medical conditions present with discomfort that feels like back pain.

Here are some of the main illnesses and problems that can be mistaken for back pain:

• Kidney pain;
• Gallbladder pain;
• Pain of the reproductive organs;
• Spinal stenosis;
• Liver disease;
• Appendicitis;
• Fecal impaction.

Sources

• Back, Lower Limb, and Upper Limb Pain Amongst Adults

• If You Have Back Pain While Sitting, Here’s How to Fix It

• Low Back Pain: Why Movement Is So Important

• Back Exercises in 15 Minutes a Day

• Self-Administered Stretching Exercises Study

• How to Touch Your Toes

• How to Perform the Bird Dog

• Home Remedies for Low Back Pain

• Exercises for Back Pain

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