Lower back pain is a complex topic.
The best advice used to be rest and wait for the pain to subside. Turns out this was really bad advice.
If we avoid movements because of the pain, we send signals to the brain that those movements are dangerous. Over time this can help to reinforce the generation of pain and turn your everyday pulled back muscle into persistent lower back pain. Nobody wants that.
The best advice now, based on the most recent evidence, is for people to keep moving as normally as possible. As much as your pain will allow.
With that in mind, here are a couple of drills to get your back moving and help relieve the pain.
Rotational core drill
This is a fantastic exercise for getting some rotation through your lower back. If you’re stiff and sore in the centre of your back lower back, or in the junction between the lower back and pelvis, then this is the one for you.
In the video below I demonstrate a few variations to go from relieving discomfort all the way to building strength and resilience.
QL side stretch
Quadratus lumborum (QL) is a square muscle attaching your lower ribs to the posterior ridge of your pelvis. It attaches to all of your lumbar vertebrae and plays an important roll in stabilising the lower back.
If you’re getting pain or stiffness that is more to the side of your lower back, then chances are this muscle is involved.
The simple stretch demonstrated below will help to provide some relief and keep the area moving.