10 Best Physical Therapy Exercises for Lower Back Pain Relief

Is your lower back pain preventing you from living life to the fullest? 

Have medications failed to provide lasting pain relief?

The solution could be simpler than you realized - specialized physical therapy exercises can help relieve your pain.

They can improve mobility and ease discomfort by addressing tight muscles, strained joints, and posture issues underlying the pain. 

This article will explore the top 10 physical therapy exercises to finally tame your lower back pain.

Core and Glute Exercises 

Developing strong core and gluteal muscles provides crucial stability for the spine and pelvis. When weakness sets in these areas, it can strain your back and cause pain over time. 

Targeted exercises, like the ones given below, can safely build strength in these key muscles:

1. Planks 

For beginner core training, start by facing against a wall. 

Walk your feet backward while leaning your weight forward onto your palms pressed into the wall surface. 

Keep your back flat and abs engaged as you hover in this inclined plank position. 

Avoid bending the back or the hips. 

Hold this contracted position for 10-30 seconds before gently releasing it down. 

This teaches you to activate and sustain the contraction of the entire core muscles.

2. Glute Bridges

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat. 

Engage your glutes to lift your hips upwards into a bridge, creating a straight line from knees to shoulders. 

Hold this glute bridge for 5 seconds, feeling the back muscles activate, then lower down with control. 

Repeat it for a few reps. 

Performing glute bridges strengthens your gluteal and hamstring muscles that stabilize the pelvis and lower back. 

Our physical therapists at Complete Wellness also help with therapeutic exercises to help you regain flexibility and movement.

3. Bird Dogs

Start in a plank position. 

Keeping a flat back, slowly extend one arm forward while simultaneously extending the opposite leg behind you. 

Avoid letting the hips twist or losing balance.

This challenges the coordination of both sides of your core to work together - contracting certain muscles while the opposite side stretches. 

Continue raising the opposing arm and leg in a slow, controlled, fluid manner up to 10 reps per side. 

Focus on slowly mastering the stabilization challenge of bird dogs rather than doing a high number quickly. This prevents poor form that could overwork the back.  

Bird dogs train core and glute muscles to work in unison from head to toe, keeping the spine aligned even while in motion. This exercise protects your back during daily activities.

As you get stronger, start combining these exercises into flowing sequences. This develops the core and glute strength required to properly support your spine during everyday motions and activities.

Hip and Hamstring Stretches

Tight hips and hamstrings contribute to low back pain. Gentle stretching exercises given below can help you maintain flexibility and function in these areas:

1. Figure 4 Stretch

Sit with one ankle crossing over your opposite knee. Clasp your hands behind the elevated leg. 

Gently lean forward, keeping the back straight until you feel a comfortable stretch in the glute and outer hip area. 

Hold for 30 seconds.  

Stretching the piriformis and sciatic muscles this way relieves tension that can contribute to the lower back and sciatic nerve pain. 

2. Knee to Chest 

Lie on your back and hug one knee at a time into your chest. 

Keep the other leg straight and the shoulders relaxed onto the floor. 

Hold for 10-15 seconds.

Drawing the knees upwards stretches muscles of the lower back and hamstring which commonly contribute to discomfort.

3. Cat Camels  

Assume a tabletop position on your hands and knees. 

Take a deep breath in, then exhale pressing your spine towards the ceiling into an arched “camel” shape. 

On your next inhale, round your back downwards while dropping your head, creating a scooped “cat” shape. 

Continue slowly flowing between these two stretches.  

As you alternate arching up and rounding down, you'll feel a mobilizing sensation throughout your back as the vertebrae gently separate and decompress. The spinal motions also stretch the hip flexors. 

Move through at least 5 camel/cat cycles, matching your breath.

4. Wall Slides

Stand upright with your back, rear shoulders, and head gently pressed against a wall. 

Place the feet about 2 feet away. 

Maintaining contact with the wall, initiate movement by sitting back at the hips as if reaching for a chair behind you. 

Slide down along the wall to feel a stretch in your hamstrings and calves. 

Engage core muscles to control the descent then use your legs to slide back up the wall to a standing position.

Perform these wall slides with control for 30 seconds, initiating from the hips and core rather than bending straight from the lower back. 

The proper form makes it a safe stretch. 

This sliding movement flexes the spine gently, decompressing the vertebrae. 

Posture Improvement Exercises

Poor posture habits like slouching and twisting strain your back muscles over time. Targeted exercises such as below can help counteract this:

1. Cat Cows 

Start on your hands and knees, then slowly arch your spine up towards the ceiling into a backbend. 

Reverse the motion, rounding down while dropping your head. Flow smoothly between these “cat” and “cow” movements.  

These spinal motions gently activate your vertebral joints. 

Perform for 30 seconds, matching your breath. 

Mobilizing the mid-back improves posture and eases lower back discomfort.

2. Doorway Stretches  

Assume a tabletop position on your hands and knees. 

As you inhale, arch your back upwards while lifting your tailbone and head - forming a convex “cow” shape. 

As you exhale, reverse the motion by rounding your spine downwards while tucking your chin towards your chest into a concave “cat” stretch. 

Continuously flow between these two poses for 30 seconds, coordinating the spinal movements with breath.

As you flow through cat/cow cycles, you'll feel a gentle activation of each vertebrae. 

Stretching and extending the mid-back muscles also improves spine flexibility. This allows decompressing areas contributing to your lower back discomfort. 

3. Movement Retraining  

Paying attention to your posture during daily activities can help train better movement habits. This prevents straining your back over time.

When sitting, keep the head centered over the pelvis, and shoulders stacked over the hips. 

Stand tall with your weight evenly distributed through the feet. 

While walking, avoid excess swaying and maintain an elongated spine by standing straight.  

When lifting objects, keep the load close to the core and avoid twisting.

If you consciously practice good posture and mechanics during everyday activities, these proper patterns will become healthy reflexes that prevent back muscle strain.  

For example, looking over the shoulder instead of twisting to turn helps integrate better mechanics.

Over time, increased body awareness and intentional movement pay dividends through smooth, easy mobility lasting into older age.

Our physical therapy program at Complete Wellness also gives guidance on lifestyle and home exercises so you can take care of your health.

Take Control of Your Back Pain Again

As we’ve explored, targeted physical therapy provides an effective, non-invasive pathway to resolving lower back pain at its roots through various exercises.

However, getting guidance from experts on the specific treatment approaches that match your needs is extremely valuable.

At Complete Wellness, our licensed physical therapists in NYC develop customized exercise and manual therapy regimens tailored to each patient’s needs. 

Our team learns your history before designing an integrated treatment including ultrasound therapy and therapeutic exercises aimed at restoring comfort and mobility without medication. 

Our treatment provides long-term pain relief, improved coordination, enhanced function for daily activities, and sustainable well-being. 

Take the first step toward pain relief by booking an appointment.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How do you get rid of back pain with long sitting?

To help relieve lower back pain from long sitting, take regular standing/walking breaks, use supportive lumbar cushions on your chair, gently stretch tight hips and hamstrings, and strengthen core abdominal muscles.  

2. What exercises should I avoid with lower back pain?

People with lower back pain should avoid exercises involving excessive twisting that stresses the spine, loaded back bending, and high-impact activities that jolt the vertebral joints. It is best to consult a physical therapist on safe, recommended exercises.

3. Is it better to go to a chiropractor or a physical therapist for back pain? 

Both chiropractic care and physical therapy can provide complementary benefits in treating muscular, skeletal, and nerve contributors to back pain. An integrated treatment approach combining appropriate techniques from each field is often the most effective.

4. Should I stretch my lower back if it hurts?  

While gentle stretches can aid recovery, avoid overstretching an acutely painful lower back. Seek guidance from a back pain specialist on safe, recommended stretches for your situation.

5. Are squats good for lower back pain? 

When done with proper form, squats can strengthen core and gluteal muscles that provide crucial support and stability to the spine. However, it's important to get professional instruction to avoid straining vulnerable low back regions.