Lumbar Spine Mobility/Strengthening

In this post we will discuss ways to help improve spinal mobility and to strength the muscles that are your support system for your back. I hope some of my suggestions from my previous post were helpful for proper set up of your home office. I know I’m not the only one who cringes or walks stiff after getting up from sitting too long, if you are shaking your head in agreeance this post will help lessen that hobble. Let’s talk about the spine for a minute. The spine is made up of 33 vertebrae stacked on top of each other. There is a vertebral disc between each vertebrae that acts as the cushion for your spine. These discs do degenerate over time and loose their cushion. The spine is broken up into 5 categories your cervical spine, thoracic spine, lumbar spine, sacrum, and coccyx. The sacrum and coccyx are fused together, meaning they do not move. The lumbar spines major function is to bear the weight of the body. The vertebrae in this region are much larger in order to absorb the stresses of lifting and carrying. Another reason why this region has a higher incidence of injury. Your spinal nerves also exit the spinal column in the lumbar region thus adding to the incidence of injury. It is very important that we take care of our spine throughout our life so that it lasts as we age.

Mobility of the lumbar spine is critical in maintaining and improving the health of the disc and your ability to perform activities throughout your day. What I am going to show you are very simple exercises but they can be very effective.

Back extensions

– We spend majority of our day in a flexed position, forward bent, it is good to allow our spine to go the other direction. This simple mobility exercise does just that. Should not be painful, just a gentle stretch. If you have pain going down your legs prior to doing this and the pain moves up toward your buttock or back that is a good thing, keep them up. If the pain gets worse, stop.

– 10 every 2 hours

Starting position -> ending position

Lower trunk rotations

– This is a nice and relaxing exercise, just rock to your comfort level on either side. This should not be painful at all.

– 2 to 3 minutes

Child’s pose 3 way

– A great stretch for the low back, especially with the 3 directions. Yes this is a yoga move but don’t let that scare you. Everyones child pose will look different because we are all at different points in our mobility.

– Hold each stretch for 30-45 seconds and try 3 in each direction

Cat/camel

– Yes another yoga pose but another great one for mobility. This also helps with thoracic, mid back, mobility. As you take a deep breath in you are going to let your belly sink down as your head rises up. As you let your breath out your back is going to round and your head bows down.

– 10 in each direction

Strengthening the muscles surrounding your spine is crucial for stability and mobility. If our muscles are working properly and efficiently there is less of a chance that we will injury ourselves.

Single Glute Activation

– This exercise will be hard to see in a picture, but basically you are squeezing one butt cheek at a time. It sounds easy but it is harder than you think. Try to do it while on your stomach first and then I like to have people do it while walking. That means that the foot that is behind you is the glute you will be squeezing. You have to walk a little slower and yes you will feel like you are walking strange, its okay because you are teaching those muscles how to fire properly with walking.

Prone hip ext -> Alt ue/le

– Prone simply means laying on your stomach. So to start out lay on your stomach, ideally on your bed or couch so that your feet can hang off. Start by squeezing your one glute and slightly lifting the same leg up. It does not have to be lifted too far up, only about 3-4 inches. I don’t want your body to rotate or have your back muscles be the main source of power. Once this exercise gets easy the progression is to add your arms into the mix. So when you lift your left leg you will also lift your right arm straight out in front. As pictured below.

Quadruped Multifidus Lift

– You will want to be on a soft surface for this one because you will be on hands and knees. You will maintain this position throughout the exercise. You will simple lift one leg, maintain a bend in your knee. It will only be lifted 2-3 inches off the floor.

– 15 on each side, these are done slowly to ensure proper activation

Deadbug

– You can do this exercise on the floor or your bed if it is not real soft. You want to ensure that you are bringing your belly button towards your spine, tighten your abdominals but still able to breath. Next you will have your hands overhead and to start your feet will be on the floor. Then you will bring left arm and right knee towards on another to meet above your belly button. Then switch. If this is too easy have your feet lifted off the floor and maintain a strong core throughout.

– Start with 15 on each side and then progress to 1 minute

I want to also discuss proper breathing. Breathing seems like such a simple concept. However most of us are breathing inefficiently. Most people breath through their chest, chest rises and falls, seems normal right? Wrong, diaphragmatic breathing better known as belly breathing is the proper way to breath. It activates our diaphragm allowing it to expand into your abdominal region. Doing so helps decrease stress, lower heart rate, decrease muscle tension in your neck, improves your core stability, decreases your breathing rate expending less energy, and finally it allows us to be conscious of our breathing with movements.

Disclaimer: I am in no way diagnosing anyone, if you have persistent pain you need to call your local physical therapist and schedule an appointment.