One of the first solutions people struggling with back pain seek are lower back stretches to relieve their pain. But the truth is, many of these stretches for back pain are just short term fixes that actually end up doing more harm than good, and are the opposite of what people should be doing. A stretch meant to relieve lower back pain, like toe touches (and other similar stretches), trigger what’s called a stretch reflex, which gives you about 15-20 minutes of pain relief. But the problem is that this creates a vicious cycle of thinking that these stretches are doing good and are the only solution for relief, yet in reality are just contributing to the pain in the lower back. The key is to break this cycle. And that’s what I’ll do in this video. Here, I’ll show you how to relieve lower back pain once and for all with 4 moves.
Based on the findings of renowned back pain researcher Dr. Stuart McGill and his lab, the cat camel exercise has been found to be the least stressful way to incorporate some movement into the spine without aggravating it. For these, get on all fours and slowly move back and forth from a downward spinal curve with the head looking up like a cat and then move into a rounded spine while the head looks down like a camel. Each cycle should take about three to four seconds. 7-8 cycles are all that is needed. We’re now ready to move onto some mobilization drills for other problematic areas within the body that may be contributing to the pain in the lower back.
The first drill will target one of our major hip flexor muscles, the psoas. There’s a unique stretch meant to relieve lower back pain we can do that helps to specifically stretch this muscle. To execute it, get into a lunge position with one leg in front and raise your opposite arm overhead as you descend into the lunge. Then, bend your torso slightly to the side away from your back leg and drop your shoulder back to further target and stretch the psoas. You should feel a deep stretch in the psoas located in front of the hip of your back leg. Hold this position for a couple seconds and then take a step forward to switch your front leg and the raised arm and repeating the sequence. The goal is to perform six strides at a time.
Next, we want to move onto a drill that will help us further mobilize and open up the hips while strengthening some of our important hip muscles. This is critical when it comes to learning how to relieve lower back pain. To improve this, we’ll use a mobilization drill called hip airplanes. For these, assume a single leg stance, brace your core, and grip the floor with your planted foot. Then, place your hands on your hips and rotate your torso forward over your planted leg while kicking your back leg behind you. Keep the back leg completely straight and your planted leg knee in a slightly bent position. Next, rotate your hips in towards your planted leg (hip internal rotation) and then transition to rotating it away from your planted leg (hip external rotation). Aim for a total of 3 sets of 3 reps with this movement.
The last of the back stretches is going to help with the daily upkeep of your back. To perform it, simply stand with your arms overhead and count to 10. Then, reach higher and farther back for another count of 10. In this position, deeply inhale and work your way into an upright and stress free standing posture. By breaking up every 20-30 minutes of prolonged sitting with this drill, you’ll be able to prevent an excessive buildup of stress on your lower back.
So, as a summary, here are the stretches for back pain you should do:
Cat Camel: 7-8 cycles
Psoas Stretch: 6 strides
Hip Airplanes: 3 sets of 3 reps each side
Spine Hygiene Stretch: Perform after prolonged periods of sitting
Ideally you want to do these daily or even multiple times a day. At the same time though just keep in mind that back pain is specific to you and your situation, and there isn’t a general fix for everyone.
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Filmed by: Bruno Martin Del Campo
MUSIC:
TIME STAMPS:
00:00 – Stretches to avoid
1:35 – "Good stretch" #1
3:20 – "Good stretch" #2
5:58 – "Good stretch" #3
7:39 – "Good stretch" #4
9:24 – Action plan
I rarely comment on videos but just wanted to say that this guy is providing quality science based information with a world renowned researcher, excellent demonstrations and absolutely no filler content.
I’ve had a year of constant pain and these stretches are the only thing that have helped in the long term thank you so much ❤️
These stretches have done wonders for me. I now wake up with no lower back stiffness or pain. Thanks! 🙏🏻
Thank you so much!!! I have been doing wrong exercises for years with no improvement, actually being in more pain right after doing them! Now a short session doing the psoas stretch is all I need to bounce back to being completely pain free! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for this video. Two weeks ago, I injured either my back, hip, or both while doing a workout. The next morning, I couldn’t stand up or even roll over in bed. It felt like there were swords going through my back. At first, I was trying to exactly the stretches you’ve said not to do. As you’d expect, my back wasn’t getting better. I felt like a kept reinjuring it. I then came across this video (in the middle of the night) and immediately started doing the exercises you and Dr. Stuart McGill have recommended. Now, my mobility has returned and nearly all the pain is gone. You’re a lifesaver duo! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Cat camel: 1:58 6-8 cycle
Psoas stretch: 5:06 6 per side
Airplane: 6:31 3 sets per side
Spine: 8:31 after periods of sitting
I had extreme SI joint pain for over a year due to long hours of work related sitting and travelling. I tried all stretching and strengthening exercises for the same (Pigeon pose, Child pose, bridge exercise, knee to chest etc…) but I personally didn’t come across any SI Joint pain fix video on YouTube which talked about Psoas stretch. Try it yourself and search for SI Joint on YT. However, this video has changed my life!! I can’t explain my pain relief in words. I guess it’s someone who has suffered and recovered can understand. Thank you so much
Just the comment I was looking for
I was having lower back pain from lifting weight heavy and using the exact static stretches condemned on this video, I felt immediate relief, like magic. I am still sore but I feel a considerable improvement on the pain. Thank you for posting this video
What a great set of moves. I have had lower back pain for 40 years and this might be the first time I’ve actually released it myself. 1000 thanks!
Same here… thank u so much for giving these exercises.. 👍love from india ❤️🇮🇳
What does that cycles mean ?
@Ern Del repititions
same for me, I watched and tried dozens of exercises to no avail, have had constant back pain and hat to get steroid injections for a year, now it’s been over 1,5 years without any major pain. Whenever I feel it coming back, I do these tasks only a few times for maybe 2-3 days, and it’s gone, I can ski, paddle, run, lift, whatever I like. It’s been a game changer in my case!
Nice and informative video, thank you!
I’ve been teaching online all year and I’ve developed severe back pain that’s been persisting for two weeks now. My husband recommended yoga videos and, just like you said, because I did the poses demonstrated at the begining of the video, I had short-lived pain reduction but, sure enough, the pain always came back. I’m going to incorporate those new moves!
Thanks again to the both of you!
Not lying here: I hurt my back three days ago and it has been seized solid, with no movement whatsoever. I’ve just tried these three exercises/stretches, and I’m able to stand up in my usual way, without the feeling that my hips are jutting forward. Unbelievable. Thank you so much!!
Thats great! I start off with an easy stretch of the psoas muscle that susan koenig taught and then add to a 90 second piriformis stretch. It takes time but we all can heal.
Glad the algorithm pointed me to this video! I started experiencing some back pain in a specific spot and started looking up daily stretches and yoga poses I could do to alleviate it and improve my posture and overall spinal health. Thank you for pointing out that the knee pull to the chest being one of the ones to avoid because I did start doing those which like you said did provide temporary relief only for it to come back worse at some point in the day!
I’m 16 and have 2 stress fractures in my lower back. the first exercise is a life saver
Great video, thanks a lot! I’ve been struggling with erectors’ stiffness for some time since massive drop in movement came with quarantines and almost permanent home-office. Tried different stretches, foam roller, but nothing really helps permanently. Gonna practice it today in the gym! Hopefully, it will kick start their “rehabilitation” to the optimal state I had before 👍
Thanks!! Liked, sub’d, shared… Will review:
1:55 cat and camel max 7-8 reps.
4:43 psoas stretch (and avoid prolonged sitting) 2 sec per side 6x, basically lunge with back leg’s arm up over head.
6:30 hip airplanes 3x3sec.
8:00 or 8:30 stand up every 20-30 minutes and lift hands together overhead, breathe deep
I’m 38 and out of nowhere I could not even move. My back was so tight and I was in shock. Unsuccessfully I was trying yoga poses for a few days then thankfully found this video. It saved me!! After 2-3 days of these stretches I am back to 100%. I am committed to watching this every morning and night. I refuse to have another setback!!! Shoutout to everyone else in the comments whose like me and your back has been saved!!Thank you to Jeremy and the doc for life changing video.
@Marvelous Material Which piriformis stretch do you do?
Same
I came here to leave almost this exact comment. I’d like to add that the set, explanation and lack of fillers is fantastic. I love to the point. Also I’m purchasing the book today for my guy because he’s suffered back issues for years. Thank you, I appreciate this very much.
Wow!! I practice yoga regularly, but still have back problems. My fiance has much more severe back problems. We just did these stretches together while watching this video. We really felt the stretches and appreciated the very clear descriptions of where and how to feel them. I just finished writing up a 10 minute yoga routine incorporating all these that we are now committing to every day. Super excited to see how we feel in a couple months! Thank you for this incredible video!
why do people always mention that they don’t comment a lot
00:00 – Stretches to avoid
1:35 – “Good stretch” #1
3:20 – “Good stretch” #2
5:58 – “Good stretch” #3
7:39 – “Good stretch” #4
9:24 – Action plan
You should comment more. You are the Mr. Ballen of comments.
Copied from here,might be useful!!Thanks!! Will review:
1:55 cat and camel max 7-8 reps.
4:43 psoas stretch (and avoid prolonged sitting) 2 sec per side 6x, basically lunge with back leg’s arm up over head.
6:30 hip airplanes 3x3sec.
8:00 or 8:30 stand up every 20-30 minutes and lift hands together overhead, breathe deep
Cat and camel 3 sets??
In second exercise i feel strech in right and left side of back
@ChefBoi, ardeeznutz¿ No💔😥😣🐇
@Tanmay 636 ight
@mborsik I’m really glad that you posted this comment. My mother is 53 and has been struggling with severe back pain for over a year. She can barely function, and we don’t allow her to lift anything super heavy anymore because it makes it worse. She’s been taking an oral steriod for almost a year now, and a rhumatologist prescirbed her hydroxychloroquine to try and ease her pain. I really think that being sedentary during the peak of the pandemic caused this to happen, and it never got better. she used to do landscaping all day without issue and now she can barely roll out of bed to go to her desk job. I’m definitely going to share the knowledge of these stretches, along with your story. I hope it helps
thing is not errbody can get up err 30 min i drive trucks so sometimes im sitting for an hour or more
@Moses no. just 6-7 reps. thats it
so, how are you 2 feeling after 2 months?
@l2p 200iqPlays if I was more consistent, probably even better. I have been pretty consistent with the hip dip/lift move and notice that helping, but need to revisit the others. 😂
Thank you!
You are a GEM Jeremy! I had been having this lower back pain for several months and it was getting to the point where I couldn’t bend to pick up something off the floor. I started these exercises several days ago and my pain has greatly diminished and my range of motion has gotten so much better. My backpainseal cb-295 helped destressing my pinched nerve that was causing a shooting pain in my left leg. I plan to do these exercises on a regular basis to keep the pain away. I am so thankful.
Me and my back pain from age 15…..
@SS same. 20 now but it started at 15.
Good bot
@SlimG Doctors are general practitioners and are typically terrible at dealing with issues like this
That’s weird because I did yoga and it had all 3 of these poses plus a bunch more my favorite is sitting criss cross apple sauce and doing like a reach from side to side it’s the best back stretch like these three are pretty good too it gets to the point where you have to do them or else you’re gonna want to die
My lower back pain is vanished completely in just 3 days of doing these stretches thanks to you man.keep up the great work 👍
@SlimG OMG YOU ARE HILARIOUS!
Thanks 🙏
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