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Eighty percent of Americans will eventually suffer from some type of low back pain. Sciatica, spondylosis, strains, sprains, slipped disks, or micro-fractures are some of the more common conditions that contribute to low back pain. With so many ways to aggravate the low back, how can we ever hope to defend against it?

Surgeries are not appropriate for many back conditions and don’t always work to resolve back pain. Medications are expensive and have many possible side effects! But there are effective lifestyle measures that can help you whisk away your pains. Incorporating these 3 simple steps into your daily routine will not only help low back pain go away, but will increase performance in daily tasks that once upon a time caused the pain.

Improve Hydration

Early research indicates that 8 out of 10 sufferers of back pain could be relieved if they drank 96-120 ounces of water a day.¹ You may be asking, “what can improved hydration possibly do for my aching low back”? The answer is simple: water is the main ingredient in synovial fluid, located in every joint in the body. This synovial fluid acts as a lubricant and shock absorber, keeping connective tissues located in and around the joint healthy.

Develop Low Back Flexibility

Research has proven that there is a direct correlation between good low back tissue elasticity and injury prevention.² The piriformis muscle, for example, is an external rotator of the hip that when tight, causes extreme pain in the low back, commonly called sciatica.

Piriformis Stretch: To perform this stretch, lie on your back and cross the legs so that the left ankle rests on the right knee. Grab the back of the right knee with both hands and pull so that the right foot comes off the ground. When this side is done, switch legs. Complete this stretch for two sets of 30 seconds on each side.

Spinal Erectors Stretch: Other areas that are crucial to low back flexibility are the spinal erectors located on each side of the spine in the lower back area. Tightness here can make it painful to do almost anything because they are postural muscles that never rest. To perform this stretch, sit in a chair with hips all the way back in the chair. With both hands, reach for the toes, and bring the torso closer to the legs. If flexibility limits touching the toes, go until you feel slight discomfort for two sets of 30 seconds. If sharp stabbing pain is felt, discontinue stretch immediately.

Develop Low Back Strength

Strength in the lower back is the final piece of the puzzle by which you will banish low back pain. Improved strength will  allow you to perform daily tasks more effortlessly and efficiently.  It will also keep your back intact when you find yourself in awkward positions and situations of extra strain.

Three simple exercises will keep your low back stabilized and make it stronger than ever.

Reverse Bridge: Lie on your back and flatten your back to the floor using your abdominals.  Keeping the back flat, bend knees at a 90 degree angle and place feet on the floor.  Raise hips off of the floor — as high as you can without arching your back. Hold for a count of 10. Repeat. Start out at about 5 repetitions and gradually increase up to 20 repetitions. To increase the difficulty, prop your feet on a stability ball or a step.

Opposite Arm/Leg Raise: Lay on your stomach and tighten trunk to keep your back in neutral back position. Maintain this position and raise the opposite arm and leg off the ground, only raising them as high as you can while keeping your hips on the ground.  Hold 5-10 seconds. You can use ankle or hand weights up to 5 lbs, if desired. You may also do this exercise lying over a ball. Repeat 20 times on each side.

Seated Backward Rotation: Sit on a chair or stability ball and stabilize lower spine.  With an exercise band fastened in front of you, pull the band with both hands to your navel.  Rotate your upper body in small circles while holding the band. Start by leaning slightly backwards; move shoulders in a circle to the left leading with the shoulders and circle back to center. Repeat 20 times. Then do 20 rotations leaning back and circling right.

References

1. Loney PL, Stratford PW. Phys Ther 1999;79:384-96.
2. Carragee EJ. New England Journal of Medicine 2005;352:1891-8.

[Ed. note: Carlo X. Alvarez is a noted authority in the customized fitness and sports performance field. He is recognized for his integrated and systematic approach to training, based on a foundation of safe and proven methodology that has direct and measurable benefits to performance. To learn more, click here.]