10 Best Stretches For Lower Back Pain and Stiffness

See the 10 best stretches for lower back pain and stiffness to improve your mobility.

You should be doing stretches often to keep your joints and ligaments healthy and injury free. However, we sadly know that is not the case for most people.

When people hear the word mobility or stretching, their eyes roll out as it is not perceived as a necessary stage for bodybuilding or becoming healthier or fitter. That couldn’t be further from the truth and that is what Dr. Jared Beckstrand likes to elucidate.

Dr. Jared Beckstrand is a doctor of physical therapy who developed the website Tone and Tighten in which he brings “real fitness to real people.” His YouTube Channel features plenty of videos regarding mobility, stretching, and physical health.

Here are Beckstrand’s 10 best stretches for lower back pain and stiffness. Check it out.

10 Best Stretches For Lower Back Pain and Stiffness

These 10 best stretches for lower back pain and stiffness tackle something most people on the internet won’t tell you. That not all lower back pain comes from the same cause and, therefore, can’t be treated all in the same way.

In a video, Beckstrand explains which exercises you should do and which you should avoid depending on the cause of your lower back pain.

“The key with these exercises is consistency. Simply put, the more you do them, the better you should feel.”

1. Double-Knee Rotation Stretch

Good for:

General back pain
Bulged disc
Degenerative disc
Arthritis/Stenosis

2. Single-Knee Rotation Stretch

Good for:

General back pain
Bulged disc
Degenerative disc
Arthritis/Stenosis

3. Single Knee-to-Chest Stretch

Good for:

General back pain
Degenerative disc
Arthritis/Stenosis

If you have bulged disc, proceed with caution as it can feel good, but it could also be aggravating the cause of your lower back pain.

4. Double Knee-to-Chest Stretch

Next on Beckstrand’s list of best stretches for lower back pain and stiffness is the double version of the exercise above.

Good for:

General back pain
Degenerative disc
Arthritis/Stenosis

5. Piriformis Stretch

Good for:

General back pain
Degenerative disc
Arthritis/Stenosis

This is a hip rotator that gets tight in most lower back cases that Beckstrand sees.

6. Hamstring Stretch

Good for:

General back pain
Degenerative disc
Arthritis/Stenosis

You can use a towel to stretch your hamstring or a leash or anything that can hold the tip of your foot.

7. Prone on Elbows to Cobra Pose

Good for:

General back pain
Bulged disc

This exercise is not suitable for degenerative discs and arthritis or stenosis.

8. Child’s Pose

best stretches for lower back pain and stiffness

A staple in the yoga department, this exercise is good for:

General back pain
Degenerative disc
Arthritis/Stenosis

Proceed with caution if you have a bulged disc.

9. Cat/Cow Stretch

Another exercise that is very common in yoga classes as it is suitable for any lower back pain injury.

Good for:

General back pain
Bulged disc
Degenerative disc
Arthritis/Stenosis

10. Hip Flexor Stretch

Good for:

General back pain
Bulged disc
Degenerative disc
Arthritis/Stenosis

And that was Beckstrand’s 10 best stretches for lower back pain and stiffness. For some exercises above you should be holding the position for 20 seconds, some for a smaller amount of time.

To know exactly how to perform them, click on the video below to see Beckstrand explaining each one of them correctly.

VIDEO – 10 Best Stretches For Lower Back Pain and Stiffness

BOXROX has carefully curated the below links for you. If you are looking to improve your health, longevity and stay injury free, click on any of these.

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