The majority of people experience lower back pain at some point in their life. Pain is how the body communicates that there is an imbalance that requires your attention.

Below, I’ll introduce you to 5 fantastic postural therapy exercises to get you immediate relief from lower back pain. The great thing about these postural exercises is that you can do them anywhere and at any time.

We’ll also look at the possible reasons your back keeps hurting. It’s important to learn the reason behind the pain otherwise you’ll always be triggering pain and only addressing the symptoms.

What’s Causing My Lower Back Pain

The best way to eliminate lower back pain is to fix the root cause and maintain muscle balance. Exercises and stretches to help you get relief are great, but unless you know the reason behind the pain, you’re stuck in that cycle.

Whether the pain is acute or chronic, it’s always recommended you consult with your physician to rule out any serious causes.

The majority of the time, the root cause is a combination of postural and muscular imbalances. Meaning… weak and underactive muscles that are not providing enough stability and support around the spine and joints.

Habits That Trigger Lower Back Pain

• Sitting for longer periods of time with no lumbar support
• Slouching and texting which creates the rounded-shoulder-forward-head posture
• Flexion at the spine whenever you sit (rounding of the lower back)
• Bending at the spine instead of practicing the hip hinge

In addition, most people with back pain fear to exercise because they’re scared to make the pain worse. Yes, it’s important to do the exercises right to avoid injury. However, low impact strengthening exercises are generally safe. You can always take a break at any time if you feel more pressure.

Being sedentary is not a solution. Further weakening your muscular system will lead to more pain, an unstable spine, and joints.

How To Fix These Postural Imbalances

I have step-by-step tutorials on how to fix each of these imbalances, I’ll link them all below the exercises. I want to list the lower back pain relief exercises first, then I’ll also list the other resources for you…

5 Lower Back Pain Relief Exercises

Alright…let’s get to the exercises. I’ll include a description of the exercises and what you can expect from each:

1.Counter Stretch:

This is my most favorite stretch. I can’t get enough of how much relief I get after this exercise. Especially after a long day working on the computer. 

Here’s how to do it:

1. Start by standing and facing the wall or a counter. Your feet, hips, and knees should be aligned (one line). If your knees are bending, that’s fine. It takes time to build flexibility. As long as you’re keeping your hips right above your feet.
2. Lock your elbows, and kick your glutes backward to create an arch with your lower back (try your best). Tighten your quads and disengage your shoulder blades. Breathe and hold for at least 30 seconds. Let your upper body drop into that stretch!

2.Sitting Floor:

How to do it:

1. Start by sitting with your back against the wall. If you can’t have your hips touch the wall that’s fine. Just do your best.
2. Stretch your legs out in front of you. The back of your shoulders should be touching the wall (this is a good opportunity to restore proper back posture).
3. Tighten your quads and point your toes towards you. This may make your legs start to elevate and that’s totally fine. Rest your hands on your thighs and hold for a few minutes. And don’t forget to breathe deeply as well.

3.Hip Flexors Release

How to do it: Releasing your hip flexors will help you restore your posture and release tension from your lower back and hips. As you get into that lunge and stretch position, you want to contract your glutes and tilt your hips backward to stretch the psoas muscle (biggest hip flexor muscle)

4.Low and High Cobra Exercises

How to do it: This is an amazing exercise to restore spinal curvature.  I suggest you start slowly and move up as your flexibility increases. 

1. Start with the low cobra exercise with your feet touching the wall. Rest your upper body on your forearms.
2. Pressing against your hands too early may put more pressure on your lower back, so start with the low cobra and progress from there.
3. You can raise your feet off the floor to engage the glutes and core as a progression as well. However, I like to use this exercise as a release vs a strengthening exercise. With each exhale, mindfully relax your lower back and let your body sink into the floor.

5.Opposite Arm To Leg Reach

How to do it: You can do this without the stability ball. Adding the ball will challenge your core and the core and glutes love to train together. As you lift your arm and leg, keep your core tight and focus on a point ahead of you on the floor to keep your balance. If you lose focus you will lose stability. Do 10 alternating repetitions. Stretch your arm and leg out to elongate your back muscles.

How To Incorporate These Exercises Into Your Day

These 5 exercises can be done anytime throughout the day. If you spent a lot of time sitting and driving, try to do these at least twice a day. Once mid-morning and again mid-afternoon. You can also repeat the stretches before bed to relax your muscles.

Chronic back pain can be so frustrating but it just requires some patience. You need to be mindful and know what causes the pain. Look at what you’re doing right before you start to feel pain. What are the triggers? which exercises or movements are leading to pain? You need to know these so you can fix your movement patterns and avoid these triggers.