Move With Us Through Lower Back Stretches

Welcome back to our Move With Us series! Today we’re going to be doing a series that targets our lower backs.

This series is perfect for anyone experiencing any low back pain, tightness or stiffness. Today’s stretches target some of the major muscle groups that contribute to lower back stiffness and can spasm with low back pain. We finish with some nice lower back mobility to help get things moving again!

Come join us on your mat or floor and let’s get moving.

Hip Flexor Stretch

• Our aim is to open up through the front of your hips and into the groin, you also may feel a stretch through your quads

• Kneeling on the mat, bring your left leg out in front of you

• Tuck your pelvis underneath, drawing your belly button in towards your spine, and push your hips forwards

• Hold for 20 - 30 seconds and repeat on the other side

• Repeat the stretch on both sides twice, or more if you feel the need

QL Stretch

• Your QL (Quadratus Lumborum) is one of your major low back muscles that helps with stability and movement

• Sitting cross legged on the floor or in a v sit if more comfortable

• Rest your left forearm on the floor next to the outside of your left leg so that it is running alongside it

• Reach up and over with your right arm, stretching in the direction of your left knee

• You can slightly change the positioning of your arms and body until you feel a nice stretch through the side of your low back

• Hold for 20-30 seconds then swap sides

Glute Stretch

• Our aim is to target our glute muscles to open up through our hips and lower back

• Laying down on your back, you can place a pillow behind your head if you need to

• Crossing your right leg across your left leg so that your right ankle is sitting on your left thigh

• Reaching your hands through and wrapping them around your left leg, lifting your legs off the floor

• You can either use your arms to pull your left leg towards you or simply move your left leg closer to your chest to increase the stretch

• Hold for 10-15 seconds, focusing on your breathing

• Swap legs and repeat, you can always do more if you’d like

Knee and Sacral Rocks

• Lying on your back have your knees bent and feet on the floor

• Keeping both shoulders on the floor at all times, slowly drop your knees to one side keeping your knees together

• Only go as far as is comfortable, there should be no pain, then return to the middle and drop to the other side

• Repeat for about 30 seconds or more if desired

• Then, tuck your knees into your chest and repeat rocking from side to side for another 30 seconds

We hope you found this helpful! Feel free to repeat this series multiple times through out the week and keep Moving With Us. If you have any questions or need any advice on any of these exercises, please don't hesitate to reach out and chat to us.

Remember that you shouldn’t feel pain during any of these exercises. If they are painful for you, consider avoiding that exercise or decreasing the intensity. We are always here to help if needed.

If you’re after some more advice or are in need of some hands on help, we’d love to see you at Collective Motion! Collective Motion offers Osteopathy, Myotherapy, Dietetics and Pilates and is conveniently located to service our Bentleigh community as well as its surrounding suburbs including Bentleigh East, McKinnon, Ormond, Glenhuntly, Murrumbeena, Carnegie, Oakleigh, Gardenvale, Brighton East and Hampton East. Click below to book an appointment and let us help you get moving again.