Exercise For Lower Back Pain

Staying in the Game: Pain in lower back and legs can begin with sacroiliac

"My MRI and X-rays are negative." This is a common statement from my patients with lower-back pain.

They have had a full diagnostic work-up and the findings are negative. They do not know what is wrong with them. The over-the-counter pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs do not work.

Now what? They do not want to take steroids or injections, and surgery is out of the question.

The pain is interfering with their work, family life and sports activity. They want to get better without drugs or surgery.

The sacroiliac joint is what allows your hips to move as you walk. This joint is where the dimples are on each side of your lower back.

They give you the wiggle in your walk, which is more pronounced in a woman. This is because a woman's hips are wider than a man's.

One patient told me his health care provider told him he had an iliotibial band issue, which was the reason the right side of his back and buttocks hurt. The pain also traveled down the side of his leg.

He is a friend staying at my house. He lives in Florida and has a summer home up the coast. He and I have played tennis together for years. When he is catching an early morning flight out of Portland to go to work, he stays with me.

I took him to Prout's Neck Country Club for a tennis match. After playing, we cleaned up and I then evaluated his lower back, looking for the cause of his pain.

He is very fit for his age. He has no neurological deficits that would indicate he has a disk lesion or herniation. The range of motion in his lower back is normal. There is muscle spasm in the buttocks and tenderness over his right sacroiliac.

I found on muscle testing a weak gluteal muscle and hip flexor. There was no movement of his right sacroiliac joint. The joint is stuck.

I told him the sacroiliac joint is the cause of his back, hip and leg pain. I performed an adjustment to the joint to restore its motion. The adjustment works beautifully and his muscle strength returns to normal. The pain reduced immediately. Exercises were prescribed so he can maintain the normal function of the joint.

Another patient recently ran a 3:30 marathon. She is one of the fittest athletes for her age I have seen in my practice. Now she can barely teach her classes as a personal trainer.

She told me the pain was in her lower back and buttocks. It went into the inside of her thigh and down to her calf. She couldn't do speed work, and teaching kick boxing classes was aggravating the pain.

Easy Lower Back Exercises To Relieve Back Pain | Total Wellness ...

Lower back exercises are an effective way to reduce pain in the lumbar or lower back region. But, you should first seek the advice of your doctor, to see if these exercises are right for you. Following is a list of lower back exercises that are most often suggested for people with lower back pain.

Backward spinal curl, also known as Cobra.

You must begin by laying down flat and face down, with toes extended out and hands flat to the ground at waist level; pushing on your hands, lift your upper torso and head, so that your spine curls. Your hips should remain down. Do not stretch more than is comfortable. If you can, try to hold this position for a couple of minutes, and then lower yourself back down slowly.

Curve your spine forward and stretch your hamstrings.

This exercise should always follow the previous one, to ensure that you gain balance. In yoga, this position is called Janu Sirsasana.

You should sit on the floor and stretch your right leg forward in front of you. The left leg is bent with the knee going down toward the floor and the sole of the foot resting against the side of the right leg. At this point you should bend down and stretch your arms as far as they can go toward your right foot You should be able to grab your toes, foot or ankle.

Feel the stretch in the hamstring along the back of the leg and in the lower back, but again do not push yourself too far. Stay in position for a minute or two, then slowly straighten up, rest, and repeat with the other leg.

Side bends

This exercise can be performed sitting, standing, or even sitting on an exercise ball. Keep your hands together and raise your arms high above your head. Keeping the body in the vertical plane (so you do not bend forward), slowly bend the whole upper body over to one side, then the other.

Twist the spine.

Be sure to keep these lower back exercises to a minimum. Take advice before attempting it if you have had back or neck injuries in particular.

Sit on a chair without arms and keep your feet on its side, firm on the ground. Keeping the hips firm in place, turn your body around to the right. Place the left hand over the right knee, and the right hand behind you. Twist as far as you comfortably can to the right. Keep the head upright but turned to look over your right shoulder.

Count to 15 or 20, and then slowly turn back toward the front, turning your head first. Do the same for the other side.

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