Low Back exercises:
Knee to shoulder stretches:
Lying on your back grasp one knee and pull it toward the opposite shoulder. Hold for a couple of seconds before straightening your elbows again. Repeat 6 times and then do it with the other leg.
Then repeat the exercise, pulling both knees at the same time toward your chin. Straighten the elbows again to release, then pull again and hold for a couple of seconds. Repeat 6 times.
Cat Arches
A great exercise for loosening up the low back. Most people with back pain will find this helpful. Do the exercise on your hands and knees. Arch the back up and down gently six times. Tuck your chin in as you arch the back and lift the head gently as you hollow the low back. If the back is painful as you make the bottom of your spine hollow, do not force it!
Prayer Stretches (Modified cat Stretch)
This one feels really good if the bottom of your spine feels really stiff and you want to stretch it safely. Be careful if you have a knee problem, because you will be bending the knee fully, so if your knee is dodgy, go gently. From the cat arch position (above), bring your bottom down towards your heels, and try and 'tuck your tail in'. Hold for a few seconds before rising up again and then repeating a few more times. Shown below:
McKenzie Stretch (Cobra)
Quite a good exercise for people with lumbar disc injuries and sciatica, but as with all the exercises, if it seems to aggravate the problem, don't do it! Lying up your front, push your upper back and shoulders away from the floor, looking up at the same time. Keep your hips on the floor. This will force some extension into the back, and some practitioners feel that it helps to reduce the bulge of a ruptured disc. Ease the pressure off after a couple of seconds, lowering yourself down and then repeat, perhaps six times.
