Examples of physical therapy exercises for lower back pain

Physical Therapy Exercises for Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain can definitely make your life more difficult. It can make bending over to pick up a dropped pencil harder. You might not have as much fun walking the dog every day. However, there are options that can help you treat your lower back pain and regain your ability to do normal daily tasks like these. 

One option that can assist the approximately 31 million Americans currently living with lower back pain is physical therapy. Physical therapists offer many treatment techniques for lower back pain, and a commonly used technique is physical therapy exercises. Two examples of some exercises your physical therapist could use to help you include: 

  1. Pelvic tilt

The pelvic tilt exercise is often included in physical therapy plans for lower back pain. One reason for this is that it doesn’t put a lot of strain on your lower back, but it can also be a very effective stretch for your lower back muscles. To perform the pelvic tilt exercise: 

  • Start by lying on your back on the floor or a mattress. 
  • Bend your knees so that your feet are flat on the floor. 
  • Slowly pull your stomach in like you’re trying to make your belly button touch your spine. 
  • Breathe smoothly and hold this position for about 10 seconds.
  • Release the tension on your stomach and rest for a few seconds. 
  • Repeat these steps until you’ve done the exercise 10 times. 
  1. Knee-to-chest stretch

Another exercise your physical therapist could include in your physical therapy plan for lower back pain is the knee-to-chest stretch. Since this exercise allows you to control the depth of the stretch your lower back muscles are getting it can help people with varying levels of back muscle tightness. To perform this exercise: 

  • Lie on your back on a bed or the floor. 
  • Place your feet flat on the surface with your knees bent. 
  • Grab the back of your right thigh, and slowly lift your knee toward your chest. 
  • Stop when you feel a moderate stretch in your lower back and butt. 
  • Hold the stretch for 10 to 15 seconds. 
  • Slowly lower your right foot back to the surface. 
  • Repeat these steps with your left leg. 
  • Continue to repeat these steps until you’ve done the exercise three times with each leg. 

Panther Physical Therapy offers exercises and other physical therapy options for lower back pain treatment

Physical therapy exercises can be very effective for lower back pain, but they’re far from the only treatment option available to you. Our Panther Physical Therapy team can help you find other therapy methods that can help reduce your pain. 

We’ll start by performing a back screening on you to reveal the underlying cause(s) of your pain. Then, our physical therapists will build you a personalized therapy plan to address the cause(s), which might include therapy techniques like: 

Contact our team today for more information about our lower back pain treatment services or to schedule an appointment.