Fitness

Here’s Why A Child’s Pose Stretch May Alleviate Lower Back Pain

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Are you experiencing lower back pain?

At some point in our lives, roughly four out of five people experience lower back pain. Theresa Marko, PT, DPT, MS, a board-certified orthopedic physical therapy specialist, said, “In a young and healthy person, back pain can happen from sitting too long and inactivity due to muscle shortening.”

Stretching regularly is easy to ease or prevent stiffness in your lower back.   Symptoms of chronic low back pain can be alleviated using yoga just as effectively as physical therapy, according to a 2017 study.

Marko recommends doing these stretches daily, if not twice a day if you have active back pain or sit in a chair most of the time. It’s also a good idea to exercise and stay active. Listed below are some of the most effective lower back exercises and stretches.

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Nipapun

Child’s Pose

According to Mayo Clinic officials, the child’s pose is an easy and quick way to stretch your back and the muscles around your hips. Switch it up by resting your forehead on your arms if you have trouble lying your forehead flat on the ground.

Here’s how to do the child’s pose:

  • Put your hands and knees together.
  • Lean forward, extending your arms, palms flat on the floor with your buttocks on your heels.
  • Keep your forehead flat on the floor.
  • Hold for 30 to 60 seconds.

Cat-Cow Stretch

In this dynamic stretch, you move your lower back muscles in two directions. Sassos said, “These stretches can help you relax and release tension by mobilizing your spine.”

Here’s how to do the cat-cow stretch:

  • Get down on your hands and knees, shoulder-width apart.
  • Exhale deeply, arching your spine and tucking your chin into your chest (cat stretch).
  • As you inhale, bend your lower back downwards and tilt your pelvis up (cow stretch).
  • Follow these steps several times.

Image Credit: Shutterstock/fizkes

Pelvic Tilt

This exercise increases flexibility and engages specific core muscles, such as your abdominals, to relieve lower back stiffness.

Performing a pelvic tilt:

  • Get on your back and bend your knees.
  • Flatten your back, tighten your abdominals, and raise your pelvis.
  • Hold for a minimum of 10 seconds.
  • Repeat the process.