Back Exercises
The following exercises strengthen the muscles that help support the back. They also help keep the lower back flexible. Doing these exercises can help prevent back pain or improve existing pain.
EXERCISES
If you have back pain or discomfort, try doing these exercises 2–3 times each day or as directed by your health care provider. When the pain goes away, do them once a day but increase the number of repetitions. If you do not have back pain or discomfort, do these exercises once a day or as directed.
Single Knee to Chest
Lie on your back on a firm bed or floor with your legs extended.
Bring one knee to your chest, and hold it in place by grabbing your thigh or knee. The extended leg should remain in contact with
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Bend your knees so they are pointed toward the ceiling and your feet are flat on the floor.
Tighten your lower abdominal muscles to press your lower back against the floor. This motion will rotate your pelvis so that your tailbone scoops toward the ceiling instead of pointing at your feet or into the floor.
With gentle tension and even breathing, hold this position for 5–10 seconds.
Repeat this exercise 5–10 times.
Cat–Cow
Assume a hands-and-knees position on a firm surface. Keep your hands under your shoulders, and keep your knees under your hips. You may place padding under your knees for comfort.
Drop your head and point your tailbone toward the floor so that your lower back becomes rounded like the back of a cat. Hold this position for 5 seconds.
Slowly lift your head and point your tailbone toward the ceiling so your back arches like the back of a cow.
Hold this position for 5 seconds.
Repeat this exercise until your lower back becomes more flexible.
Press-Ups
Lie on your abdomen on the floor. Place your palms at the height of your head, about shoulder-width
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You should feel the muscles in your buttocks and the back of your thighs working. If you do not feel these muscles, slide your feet 1–2 inches farther away from your buttocks.
Hold this position for 3–5 seconds.
Slowly lower your hips to the starting position, and allow your buttocks muscles to relax completely.
Repeat this exercise 10 times. If this exercise is too easy, try doing this exercises with your arms crossed over your chest.
Abdominal Crunches
Lie on your back on a firm bed or floor with your legs extended.
Bend your knees so they point toward the ceiling and your feet are flat on the floor.
Cross your arms over your chest.
Tip your chin slightly toward your chest without bending your neck.
Tighten your abdominal muscles and slowly raise your torso high enough to just lift your shoulder blades a tiny bit off of the floor. Raising your torso higher can put too much stress on your low back and does not help strengthen your abdominal muscles.
Slowly return to your starting position.
Repeat this exercise 5–10 times.
Back
Lie on your back and keep your knees and your feet are flat on the floor in a state. Put your arms at your side. Exhale and contract your abs while moving the right hand to the right. Keep your head and neck are aligned with the lower back. Do it on the other side and repeat this exercise 15 times a day.
Breathe out and bend your right knee above the right ankle, making the shin to be vertical to the floor. Bring your right thigh parallel to the floor, producing a ninety degree angle in your knee. Straighten out your left leg and push your left heel out and down
1. Start in mountain pose. 2. Separate your legs into a wide stance (4-5 feet). Check to ensure your heels are aligned.
Kneel in front of a stability ball with your hands clenched and resting on the ball. Keeping your back straight, slowly roll the ball away from your body by letting your hands roll over the ball. Fully extended you will have a straight line from your knees, throughout your core and extending through your stretched out arms. Slowly return to the starting position.
Basic seated pose is to sit on the floor with legs together keeping feet, ankles ad toes touching and extended in front of the upper body. If upper body is leaning back, it may be because tight hamstrings, it may be helpful to sit on a blanket or a bolster to lift the pelvis. Stretch the heels away from the body and tilt the pelvis slightly forward, extending the distance between the heel bones and the bottom. Place the hands on the floor alongside the hips, pressing through the palms with fingers pointing forward. Widen across the collarbones and lift the chest. Then, extend across the shoulders. Draw the stomach in toward the spine. Anchor the body through your tailbone and sit tall. Keep the torso upright
3) Arms- Put your hands on your side where if you dropped a ball it would land by your heel. Lift your hands to the middle of your ribcage and release at the top. Let the hands swing forwards, put your elbows together, and rotate your hands. Raise your hands directly above your head (remember to rotate the hand when going above your head). Then, follow the same pathway down.
The first step is to place a bolster along the wall and lie down on your sides while your hips lie on the bolster. The next step is to get the hips close to your chests so that the soles of the feet rest on the wall’s surface and then slowly try to raise the feet onto the wall while trying to roll the hips closed to the wall on the bolster. The last step is to move closer to the wall and raise your legs straight on the wall and stay on for five minutes before release.
Stand up straight. Bend your knees slightly, lift your left foot and cross your left thigh over the right. Hook the top of the left foot behind the right calf. Stretch your arms to the sides parallel to the floor. Bend your elbows and raise your forearms perpendicular to the floor. Put your right elbow over your left elbow and press your palms together. Look straight.
Stand up straight, and lift one leg in front of you into a 90-degree position. Don't bend your knees. Hold the position as long as you can. Then, switch legs.
Lying on stomach with thighs together, reach back and gently pull one ankle toward the buttocks until stretch is felt. Hold 30 seconds or more. Repeat with other ankle.
Start this pose by standing in the Mountain Pose. You want to bend your knees where you find yourself crouching totally and the buttocks are near to your heels while your upper body is alongside your thighs. You can place a folded blanket or a bolster underneath your heels if you find it tough to squat by setting your feet fixed on the floor.
To practice this one you would need to stand straight and bend your knees and then try to cross the right thigh region over the left one and hook the right foot behind the calf area. In case the hooking is unreachable a task, you can simply keep it on the thigh too! The next step is to press the right arm while the left arm is underneath it and pressing it all together while trying to sit. Repeat this with the other leg after about six to right breaths.
Now begin a pedal motion, bringing your knees one by one toward your opposite elbow. Bring your knee as far as you can, until it will touch to opposite elbow. Then bring your knee to the starting position
Stiffening the outside of your arms, push the bottoms of your index fingers strongly into the floor. From these points, lift together with the inside of your arms from the wrists to the tops of your shoulders. Firm your shoulder blades against your back then widen them and draw them toward the tailbone. Keep your head between your upper arms; not allowing it to simply hang.
Bend your knees. Balance on your right foot and cross your left thigh over your right. Fix your gaze at a point in front of you. Hook the top of your left foot behind your right calf. Balance for one breath.