What Causes Lower Back Pain?
You may be surprised to learn that lower back pain is often caused by your posture, not an injury. The human body is a magnificent thing, with seemingly countless parts working together to support one another.
Lower back pain is no different. When you slouch in your chair and let your hips slide forward, you’re putting stress on your lower back. If you’ve ever felt your shoulders round and your back collapse forward, you’re also straining your lower back.
Lower back pain is caused by strain put on your back due to weaknesses and over-tightening in related muscle groups. The most common causes of lower back pain are:
-
Weak glutes or butt muscles
-
Lack of ankle mobility
-
Over-tightened hamstrings (this is a BIG one)
-
Rounded shoulders or slouching
-
Slouching
-
Tight hips
How Can I Fix Lower Back Pain?
The good news is, you can quickly fix lower back pain through a combination of stretching and exercising. First, you need to try to relieve over-tight muscles. Stretching lets those over-tight, over-stressed muscles relax.
Once you’ve developed a good stretching routine, you can layer on strengthening exercises for your lower back. Typically, you’ll want to stretch the muscles that are over tigbt, then work out the ones that are weak and too loose with targeted exercises, and lastly, have a deep stretching session post-workout with a foam roller.
Rinse and repeat this process every other day or daily for 2 to 4 weeks. Remember, don’t over-do it. If you’re feeling super-sore and can’t perform the exercises, you’ll want to give your body a day or two to rest. Being a little sore is fine, however being unable to move or sit without a lot of pain is not. Aim for a 3 or 4 on the sore scale. One being no pain, and 10 being unable to sit or stand. However, you can stretch every day.
How Long Does it Take to See Results?
If you’re diligent and do the exercises correctly, you’ll start to see results in 3 to 5 weeks. At first, it might be a little more painful, especially once you begin to strengthen those weaker muscles and discover you can be sore where you never thought possible. Be patient, be diligent, and listen to your body. If the pain ever becomes overwhelming or worsens with any exercise, consider seeing your doctor.
Exercises for Strengthening Lower Back Muscles
When it comes to how to get rid of lower back pain, it’s important to strengthen specific muscle groups Exercises for strengthening your lower back are specifically designed to relieve lower back pain through strengthening surrounding muscle groups. It’s quite tough to just work out your back. Instead, focus on strengthening:
