The 6 Best Stretches for your Lower Back Pain or Herniated Disc

After sustaining a lower back injury, the instinct for most people will be to engage in some sort of stretching. The constant dull pain from a herniated or bulging disc can bring with it a fair amount of discomfort, and those suffering from such an affliction will experiment with a variety of stretches and body positions to get out of this pain. As with any physical activity following an injury, it is important to carry out that activity in the proper manner so as to avoid aggravating or worsening the injury. The right stretches performed properly can help reduce pain, improve flexibility and aid in recovery from a lower back injury or bulging disc.

Child’s Pose

Starting in a table top position (hands and knees on the ground), bring your butt back towards your feet. Gradually, rest your butt down onto your lower legs, ankles or heels. This stretch can be hard on the knees, so don’t force yourself to bring your butt further down than it can comfortably go. For some, it may be comfortable to put a rolled up blanket between your knees to add some extra support. As you settle yourself back and down, your hand should stay out in front of you, with your arms aimed over your head. Relax your breathing as you settle in, and hold the pose for 20-30 seconds. You can certainly even extend it longer; in many yoga practices this is the ‘resting’ pose. After I herniated my L5S1 disc, I found myself using this stretch fairly often. It was a comfortable way to take some pressure off of my back

Cat-Cow Stretch

Starting once more in a table top position, make sure your hands are directly under your shoulders and your back is parallel to the ground. Next, arch your back upwards, gradually and gently. As your back comes up, your head should come down. Hold this position for 5 seconds, then gradually bring your arched back to a neutral position. Next, bring your head up and stomach down, the counterpoint to the first part of the stretch. Hold this position for another 5 seconds. Make sure that none of the movements or positions of this stretch are painful or uncomfortable. You’re aiming for smooth, fluid movements and gentle mobilization of your lower back

Pelvic Tilt

The pelvic tilt exercise is both a comfortable stretch as well as a great strengthening exercise for your lower back, and over time can really help out with a bulging disc. In this exercise, start on your back with your feet flat on the floor, your knees tented. In this position, most people will feel a gap between their lower backs and the floor. Engage your core muscles and bring your lower back flush against the ground. Hold this position for 5-10 seconds, then repeat. Since this is a strengthening exercise as well, you can start with 10 repetitions but over time, increase your repetitions up to 30 or 40  a day. Over time, you’ll start to notice improvement in your core strength and stability, both of which are important in your recovery from lower back pain or lumbar disc herniation. These core muscles will help stabilize your spine, helping to keep it in a safe position and alleviating shocks and forces that might otherwise aggravate or reinjure your herniated disc.

Knee to Chest

This is another stretch where you start on your back. There are several variations to this stretch and since it’s relatively safe, you can experiment with it to figure out what feels best for you. One version is where you bring both knees back to your chest, using one hand for each leg to pull as much as you find comfortable. Hold this for 20 to 30 seconds. You can incorporate some side to side rocking, using the ground to gently massage the muscles in your lower back. A variation on this stretch is bringing one knee back at a time, using both hands to pull your thigh back as far as you find comfortable. Alternate legs and hold each side for 20 to 30 seconds. This variation is great, since with one leg and both hands, you can exert more force on each leg, upping the intensity of the stretch.

Cobra Pose

Start on your stomach for this stretch. Place your hands shoulder width apart, in line with your abdomen. Slowly, push on your hands bringing your upper body up while your thighs stay parallel with the ground. Be careful with this stretch as it’s easy to overdo while you’re getting the feel of it. Bring your upper body up only to the point where it’s still comfortable, and you can easily breathe while in this pose. This is both a strength and flexibility exercise. Repeat this exercise once or twice a week, and gradually you should feel that you are able to raise yourself up further and further, intensifying the stretch. You should also be able to increase your number of repetitions. Start with 5 reps, then work your way up to 10 or 15. I really like this exercise because it really targets the lower back, and is particularly good for bulging or herniated discs. It widens the gap between the front of your vertebrae. Since herniated or bulging discs usually protrude from the rear, the widened gap between the front of your vertebrae works to ‘pull’ this disc back in. Of course, this does not heal or fix the disc itself, but it can help to take pressure off of the surrounding tissue, if your bulging disc protrudes to that extent

Hamstring Stretch

One contributor to lower back pain or injuries are the hamstrings. Many individuals today suffer from tight hamstrings. The big contributor to this tightness is modern life. With the prevalence of inside office work, many people spend most if not all of their day in a seated position. When you’re seated, your quadriceps are stretched out but your hamstrings stay slack. Over time, this can cause them to shoten, leading to tightness when not seated. Tight hamstrings pull on your pelvis, which in turn exerts pressure on your spine, leading to back pain or even injuries. In order to avoid pain or injury to begin with, it’s ideal to incorporate hamstring stretches into your routine as well. I personally stretch my each hamstring for 5 minutes every day, though it took me some time to build up to this.

There are a few different hamstring stretches you can perform. If you have severe tightness or poor flexibility, start with this first stretch while working your way up to the subsequent stretches.

Straight Leg Sit and Stretch

Begin seated on the ground with your legs extended in front of you. Keeping a straight back, see if you can have your legs completely straight on the floor, without your knees coming up at all. For some this will not even be a stretch, whereas when I started this was difficult in its own right. As a variation, keep one leg out while bringing the other leg in, your foot pointed inwards toward yourself. Lean over and touch your toes, holding the position for 20-30 seconds before alternating legs.

Leg Raise

This stretch is similar to the knee to chest stretch, but instead of keeping your foot down, raise it up. Wrap a towel or resistance band around your foot, then pull downwards while keeping your whole leg straight. Like other stretches, use only enough force to get a moderate stretch.

Standing Hamstring Stretch

For me, this is the most intense variety of hamstring stretch. Begin in a standing position with a hip-level stable surface nearby (couch, table etc.) Keeping your balance, raise one leg up and place your foot on that surface, creating a 90 degree angle between your two legs. Keep the foot that’s on the ground pointed forwards. Begin with holding this stretch for a minute at a time with each leg, but every week or so add 30 seconds. For further progression, add an object to your surface such as a book or blanket, widening the angle between your two legs