3 Pain Relieving Exercises for Your Lower Back

Lower back pain is no fun, and it affects many people daily. Getting rid of that pain can allow you to move more freely in the water, and these three exercises can help.

Spiderman 

Start on all fours, with your hands flat on the mat directly under your shoulders, and knees bent, on the floor directly in line with the hips. 

Bring the right foot up and plant your foot on the floor right next to your right hand. Keep the left knee on the ground with the foot out straight behind it. Tighten the right leg and straighten the knee, lifting the leg off the ground so you’re in a one-legged plank position. Squeeze the quad muscle as hard as you can and hold for about 10 seconds. Then, bring the knee back to the floor. Complete five, 10-second holds on each side. 

While you’re in the flexed position, think about your head position. Don’t tuck your head or lift it up, rather mimic the head position you’d use in the water while using freestyle. You’ll also feel a stretch in the hip flexor. Keep all your movements slow and controlled. 

Side Plank

Next up is the side plank, but there are two options for this slightly different approach to a side plank. To get started, lie on your side and prop your upper body up with your elbow stacked under your shoulder. Keep your legs out straight and stack your feet one on top of the other. 

The first option is to keep your knees on the ground the whole time. With the second, you’ll get into a straight position with your feet stacked or staggered. 

Set yourself up like you're ready for a side plank in whatever position you want to pick. In that position, generally, your knees are going to be in front of your hips and your shoulders are going to be in front of your hips, almost in line with your knees. This is similar to the hip hinge position that you use when deadlifting. Your hips drift back during the deadlift and your knees and shoulders are, generally, stacked as you're hinging down toward the ground. 

Deadlifts can cause back pain, but if you use this position effectively, it can help you engage and strengthen the areas of the back that help carry you around all day. 

So, when starting this plank position, naturally, the knees start in front of the hips and shoulders are slightly in front of the hips. 

Once you’re set in that hip hinge position, shoot your hips forward to raise up off the ground a few inches. Hold this position for 10 seconds and squeeze while holding your body in a straight line. Then set your body back down. Complete three, 10-second holds focused on this hips-shooting-forward position. 

Now, pull your elbow toward your knee. You're not going to physically move the elbow but think about engagement in that pattern. Try to pull your elbow towards your knees. This lights up the whole side of your body and engages your core. Hold this for 10 seconds and focus on keeping your body still. Complete three rounds of 10-second holds. 

The final focus for this one is glute engagement. Get those glutes turned on. Complete three, 10-second holds with this focus. 

Go through those three patterns on your right and then switch over to the left and do the same thing there. 

Single Leg Raise 

For the final one, lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Focus on the hamstrings and start by pulling your ribs toward the ceiling as far as you can. Then press your lower back firmly to the ground. You’ll feel your glutes engage as you press your back to the floor. 

Then, press both hands against the quad of one leg and use your leg to push back against the hands as you straighten your leg and reach your foot up toward the ceiling. Keep your foot flexed so the bottom of the foot is reaching for the sky. Try to straighten that leg against your hands and keep focusing on shooting the ribs up and pressing your low back down into the ground as you do that. This is all to help lengthen your hamstring. Hold that position for 10 seconds, then release the ribs, relax your back, and bring your foot back to the floor. Complete five, 10-second holds on each side. 

These three exercises can help you lengthen and stabilize the low back. This allows you to reset your body position and help get out of that pain so you can go and enjoy what you want to do.