Is this you?

Sitting all day?
Little activity during the day?
Constant tightness/pain in your lower back?

Then you should give this a try.

Relieve your lower back pain with these 8 stretches.

Thread

Why do you have lower back pain?

Plenty of reasons that can cause lower back discomfort of various severities:

Muscle strains
Poor posture
Muscle imbalances
Overtraining
Excessive sitting/lying.

Remember:

Our bodies are made for moving

Being too long in the same position will almost certainly lead to stiffness, imbalances & pain

Result

Kicks off a trickle-down effect that causes postural problems and misalignments that deepen the problem

Good news:

It doesn’t take much to fight back the negative effects of excessive sitting / repetitive motions

Regular stretching & being more active will do wonders for your back’s wellbeing

Let's go to the stretching routine:

Disclaimer: Before we hop on to the stretches in store

Be mindful of your limits & not push your body over them

Take it slow & ease into each stretch

With time and consistency, they’ll feel more and more comfortable

Let's start:

(1/8) Child’s pose

Calming for the mind but also a gentle way to stretch your back muscles

Your belly can either rest on your thighs or you can push your knees out to the sides of your torso for an additional groin stretch

(1/8) Child’s pose with side stretches variation

The extended version of the child’s pose is with your arms extended above your head, will lengthen your spine

Reach out with both hands to the side for a more intense stretch starting from your lats to your lower back.

(2/8) Butterfly

The pose will not only stretch your lower and mid-back but open your hips as well

Push your knees towards the ground and lean your hips forward, trying to lower your chest as much as you can

(3/8) Single-Leg Forward Fold

This variation of sitting forward fold will stretch almost your entire posterior chain (muscles on the backside of your body) – from calves, hamstrings, lower and mid-back

(4/8) Piriformis wall stretch 1/2

The piriformis is a small muscle lying underneath your gluteus maximus

Although small, the piriformis aids with rotating the hips and thighs thus enabling a lot of our daily movements

(4/8) Piriformis wall stretch 2/2

Due to its closeness to the sciatic nerve (the largest nerve in the body), any tightness or irritation of the piriformis can cause pain along that nerve starting from the lower back & going down through the glutes and back of the leg

(5/8) Sitting piriformis stretch

Yet another stretching exercise to address the piriformis

Place your left hand behind you to support the pose and your right arm on your left knee

You can gently press against your left knee to make the stretch a little more intense

(6/8) Wall candle stretch

This is a very simple, yet effective stretch to release tight hamstrings and lower back

Get as close to the wall as possible, trying to have your buttocks touching the wall

(7/8) Candle roll-back (Plow pose)

This is quite an advanced progression of the candle stretch and if you find it too demanding, just skip it until you build up enough flexibility

(8/8) Overhead squat against the wall

This one will bring relief to your lower back, lengthen your spine, and open up your hips

A few tips:

Stretch consistently, especially if you sit a lot

The body is a highly complex machine and maintaining it in optimal condition takes some effort

When you’re stretching, try to focus on your breathing, clear your mind of any thoughts, and relax

If you find this thread helpful, please share it.

You can also sign-up for my newsletter right here: http://tiny.cc/WFsignup 

Or check out some more guides in my linktree: https://tiny.cc/WFlinktree