Top 5 exercises to a pain-free lower back

Lower Back Stretch Routine

1. Knee hug - lie on your back, slowly pull your knees up to your chest and your forehead to your knees - hold for 30 secs and release. Repeat 3-4 times

2. Lower back twist - lie on your back, put your legs flat and straight on the ground, then bend your right knee, tuck your toes behind your left knee and slowly lean the bent right leg over the left, and put your arms out straight at 90 degrees and look in the opposite direction. Hold for 30 secs, then change sides. 3-4 times

3. Pigeon Pose - turn over onto your tummy, bring one leg up bent under neath you as far as your can, almost at a 45 degree angle, if you can lean on your elbows, if you can’t then keep the upper body up on your hands. Hold for 1min each side. 2-3 times. This hurts, it’s supposed to so breathe through it. Move gently and slowly in and out of the pose. It’s a very powerful stretch.

4. Childs pose into Cobra - if you’ve done yoga before then this will sound familiar. Start in child’s pose ( toes touching but your knees out wide ) for 30 secs, then stick your bum in the air and keep your chest low to the ground and move forward slowly into a cobra position. Keep your arms straight and your should down and push through your palms and look up - lengthen your spine. Hold for 30 secs and then slowly move back into child’s pose again and repeat 2-3 times.

Thats all! You can do it in front of the TV, or on your bedroom floor in the morning and evening. I did this 3 times a day when I first started, and within a week I was so much more mobile and a lot less pain. But try the routine out first and see how you feel afterwards. If you are also feeling pain in your shoulders and middle of your shoulder blades it could be pain transference from holding yourself in a funny way to ease the pain your feeling. So if you can hang off a strong door or bar or kids outdoor monkey bars and just hang for as long as you can, this really helps lengthen the space between your vertebrae and feels SO good. 

Give it a whirl and let me know how you do in the comment box below!