What’s tolerable?
A little bit? A fair amount? ALOT?
When It comes to back pain, unfortunately, we have come to just tolerate the pain day in and day out.
That’s not normal! We shouldn’t have to deal with pain every single day, and we don’t have to. BUT we have to actually do something about It.
Too often I hear– “What are you doing to help It”
“Nothing”
In most cases, It’s not going to just go away. We have to figure out the problem, do the work, and keep It that way.
Here are 3 moves I love to do to keep that low back pain at ease:
#1: 90-90
This is my go-to move for hip mobility. The hips play a BIG role in keeping the surrounding areas moving and feeling good. If the hips are locked up, the low back has to work just that much harder.
HERE is a great video to get the most out of this move.
#2: Hip Drive
Now, the 90-90 stretch targets the outside of the hip, so our next one focuses more on the inner part of the hip. I like this move because It not only targets the inner hip but It also focuses on the hip flexor as well (another area that can be a big contributor to low back pain. As shown in the video below, the angle you work with changes how the move feels.
HERE is a great video for this hip drive.
I like to add weight to these using a KB just as they did in the video but weight is not needed for these. You can use your bodyweight and work deeper and deeper each rep.
#3: Side Planks
We have all done them and for the most part we don’t enjoy them. BUT they are one of the most underrated exercises to help alleviate low back pain. Not only are they going to help strengthen the core (which we have heard for years is the remedy for low back pain) they are also going to help strengthen the hips.
HERE is a quick video of how a side plank should be set up
The biggest part about alleviating back pain is actually doing the work. I like to attach these moves to a certain part of my day that forces me to do them every single day.
For me, before bed works best. I do them right after I brush my teeth and right before I hop into bed. These three things calm me down and make It easy to fall asleep right after and my body feels really damn good when I am finished so no pain or discomfort while I am laying in bed.
Create that ritual and you will get these things done every day!
BONUS TIPS:
1.) If you are already working out, great, because general strength and movement will help along the way. Put a bigger focus on your hamstrings. This will not only build a stronger muscle but also help with the inflexibility of that muscle.
2.) Focus on exercises that don’t compress the spine. This especially goes for lower body training. Think of things such as a belt squat compared to a barbell squat. On the belt squat, the weight is actually pulling down on your lower back, decompressing the spine where in the back squat, the weight is pressing straight down on the spine.
I hope you were able to find something in this article to help out your low back pain, but if you have any questions on looking for some deeper insights please do not hesitate to reach out, I would be happy to help!
In good health,
Jeff
