Back to Basics: Low Back Mobility For The Stiff And Sore

We have all been there -

Too much sitting, too much driving, a bad nights sleep.

OR

Too much squatting without warming up. Deadlifts didn’t feel right, but you pushed through them. You felt “off” while running and had some back pain; but, hey, those 20 miles aren’t going to finish themselves so you gotta push onward.

Then it happens. The next day, you have low back soreness. The muscles around the spine are stiff. Sitting hurts. Standing is uncomfortable. Going from sit TO stand is nasty (don’t even mention standing from the toilet!!).

So what do you do to relieve that soreness?

Ice, Ibuprofen, rest, stretch? OR do you want to do something that ACTUALLY helps the pain.

The goal of these exercises is simple - get the low back moving to mobilize the joints and relax the muscles.

These are simple exercises that I prescribe to pretty much every group of clients that come to me for Physical Therapy - from the elementary child to the grandparent, these are super effective and simple.

Exercises for low back stiffness and soreness

Exercise #1: Supine Bent Knee Rotations. Very simply, bend your knees up to your chest while the feet are on the ground. Then, rock your knees from side to side. This will give a stretching sensation in the low back and into the side of the hip. Modify with a foam roller to make it a little more specific.

Exercise #2: Figure 4 Rotations. Pretty much the same exercise as the one before, except this time cross one ankle over the other knee. Same movement as before - rocking the knees side to side - except this time you will feel more of a stretch in the hip. Again, modify with foam rollers or towels rolls.

Exercise #3: Supine Marching. For the third time, this exercise as the same starting position as the other ones. But instead of side to side, this time we are bringing one knee at a time up to the chest, hence Marching. Keep the low back flat on the ground, but don’t over do it; just relax, don’t worry about a hollow body hold or abdominal bracing. This one is very easy, so if you need a bit more then you can pull your knee closer to your chest for a bit more of a stretch.

Super simple and straight forward. But super effective in relieving back soreness and stiffness.

Want something a little more precise to your discomfort? Do you want to know the underlying reason why your get stiff and sore? Do you want a more thorough assessment of not only your lifting form, but also individual and specific joint and muscle testing? Schedule a Physio Evaluation with one of our PT doctors and we will get to the bottom of why you are sore and stiff.