Many of the things that we do in our everyday life involves using the lower back such as walking, sitting, standing, and bending so it is important to have strong lower back muscles and know how to stretch and loosen lower back muscles. Lower back pain is a common complaint of many people. Stretching and loosening these muscles can help to alleviate some of the pain. The exercises below will stretch the lower back muscles and loosen them.
To stretch and loosen lower back muscles, you will need:
- A flat surface on the floor
- hot pack or heating pad
- 5 to 10 pound weight
- Warm up your lower back muscles. Use a heating pad or a hot pack to warm up the muscles and get blood flowing to this area. This will make the muscles easier to stretch.
- Do a pelvic tilt exercise to strengthen the muscles in the lower back. Lie on your back on the floor. Both knees should be bent and feet are flat on the floor. Press the small of the back against the floor. Do not use your legs. Hold for five seconds. Repeat this movement ten times.
- Do back bends with a weight. Stand with feet shoulder width apart and the weight in your arms at your chest. Bend at the waist so that your chest goes to your knees. Do not bend you legs. Use you lower back to bend. Do this movement twenty times.
- Perform a knee to chest stretch: Lie on your back with legs straight out in front. Bring one knee up to the chest. Pull the knee toward the chest using both hands to stretch the lower back muscles. Hold the position for 30 seconds and return to the starting position. Repeat three times on each leg.
- Do a "Piriformis" stretch: Lie on your back with both of the knees bent. Cross one leg over the other. Pull the other knee to the chest until a stretch is felt in the lower back area. Hold for twenty seconds. Repeat five times on each side.