Start-exercises lower back
New onset back pain usually goes away within a week or two without treatment. General physical activity such as going for a walk helps the back not to stiffen. You should do that every day. Simple, daily exercises like the ones you see here make the muscles in the back work better and become less stiff and painful. When these exercises go well, you can move on to the slightly more demanding exercises you will find at the bottom of the page. Exercises are the best treatment you can do when you have back pain. You can also do the stretches shown in the program "Hip stretching" because most people with lower back problems are stiff both in the lower back and in the muscles around the hip joints.
To avoid recurrence of the back problems, it has been shown that slightly heavier training works better than these simple exercises. If you exercise regularly a couple of days a week for periods of 2-3 months, the risk of relapse is halved.
Low back start-program
This program takes approx. 5 minutes. Do the exercises 8 times each. You can do the exercises 2-3 times a day.
Exercise 1, Squat to chair
How: Stand with your back towards a chair. Slowly sit down to the chair, keep your hands bent in front of you. Rise up slowly.
How many repetitions: 8. Do 4-5 seconds on each repetition.
How many times: 1.
How often: 2-3 times a day.
Exercise 2, On All Four Limbs: Back on Heels
How: Stand on all fours. Sit back on your heels and stretch your arms in front of you as far as you can. Relax your neck. Hold the position for a few seconds and return to starting position.
How many repetitions: 8. Do 4-5 seconds on each repetition.
How many times: 1.
How often: 2-3 times a day.
Exercise 3, Glute bridge
How: Lie on your back with your knees bent and keep flat feet on the floor. Raise your hip off the floor to get a straight body position. Hold for 3-5 sec., then rest for 3-5 sec
How many repetitions: 8.
How many times: 1.
How often: 2-3 times a day.
Exercise 4, Diagonal lift, standing on all fours
How: Start on all fours with your face facing the floor. Stretch one arm and the opposite leg to extend of your body. Hold the position for a couple of seconds before lowering. Repeat the movement with opposite arm and leg.
How many repetitions: 8.
How many times: 1.
How often: 2-3 times a day.