3 Exercises to Strengthen Your Core to Ease Low Back Pain
If you suffer from back pain, you’ve probably heard that strengthening your core can bring you some relief. But is this always true? And if so, how do you do it?
When most people think about the core they think of the abdominals or “six-pack area”. While the abdominal muscles are an important part of the core, there are other areas important, too.
Your core includes:
📌 Abdominal muscles (in the front) — the rectus abdominis.
📌 Muscles along the side of your body — the internal and external obliques.
📌 A deep muscle that wraps around the front — the transverse abdominal.
📌 Muscles in your back that are located between your spine bones and run along your spine — the erector spinae and multifidi.
Your core also includes your diaphragm, muscles of the pelvic floor, hip flexors, and gluteal muscles.
Theoretically, if your muscles around the low back are weak, your body will rely more on passive structures for stability, including ligaments — the tissue that connects bone to bone — as well as the spinal bones or discs which lie between the spinal bones. This can cause pain.
In today’s video we show 3 Intermediate Exercises to Help Strengthen Your Core to Ease Low Back Pain:
- 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐥 𝐔𝐩 – While lying on your back with one knee bent and both arms under your buttock, partially curl up your trunk and lift your shoulder blades off the ground. Then Slowly return to lying down. Repeat 2-3 sets of 10 reps.
- 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐤 – Begin laying on your side with legs stacked one on top of the other and knees bent. Bring your forearm to the mat and elbow directly under your shoulder. Raise your hips up off the ground as pictured and hold this position. Repeat 3 sets of 30 second holds each direction.
- 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐃𝐨𝐠 – While in a crawling position, brace at your abdominals and then slowly lift a leg and opposite arm upwards. Lower leg and arm down and then repeat with opposite side.
Maintain a level and stable pelvis and spine the entire time. Repeat 3 sets of 10 reps.