Lower and Upper Back Exercises

Lower Neck And Upper back stretch

1. Stand upright and raise your arms to your shoulder height.
2. Stretch your arms out in front of you.
3. Lower your chin towards your chest.
4. Keeping your arms straight, place the palm of one hand on top of your other hand.
5. As you round your upper back, try to reach forward so your shoulder blades stretch away from each other. You’ll feel a gentle stretch along your upper back, shoulders, and upper arms.
6. Hold the stretch for 15 to 30 seconds.
7. Aim for at least 2 to 4 reps.

Midback stretch

1. Begin with kneeling on the floor and resting your hips on your heels.
2. Drop your head and chest down towards your knees. As you do this, stretch your arms out in front of you so your palms come to rest flat on the floor.
3. Try to bring your forehead as close to the floor as possible while keeping your arms straight.
4. Aim to hold this pose for at least 20 seconds or preferably 30 seconds or even longer
5. Don’t forget to breathe. Focusing on your breathing can help you deal with any pain or discomfort.
6. Gently return to the starting position while you continue to breathe.
7. Complete 2 sets of 4.

Wall push-up

1. Stand at least 12 to 18 inches from a wall with your face towards it.
2. Spread your feet shoulder-width apart.
3. Raise your arms and place both hands on the wall at the level of your shoulder height.
4. Keeping your body straight, bend your elbows, and move your face closer to the wall. Be sure not to arch your back or poke your chin forward.
5. Gently push the heels of your hands into the wall. Doing this will cause your shoulder blades to isolate and contract.
6. Hold for a count of 6 seconds.
7. Return to the starting position.
8. Do at least 8 to 12 reps.
9. Once you master doing this exercise against a wall, you can try doing it against a counter. You can then slowly advance to a sturdy chair and finally to the floor. The key is none of the levels cause unease or any type of discomfort.

Straight arm shoulder blade squeeze

1. Stand or sit up tall with your arms on your sides.
2. Relax your shoulders.
3. Take a resistance band and hold each end of the band straight in front of you with your palms facing down.
4. Holding your arms straight and at shoulder height, pull the band straight out to the sides until your shoulder blades contract.
5. Hold for a count of 6 seconds.
6. Slowly return to the original position and relax.
7. Aim for at least 4 sets of 8 to 10 repetitions.

Resisted rows

1. Put the band around a solid object, such a bedpost, at about waist level. Hold one end of the band in each hand.
2. With your elbows at your sides and bent to 90 degrees, pull the band back to move your shoulder blades toward each other. Return to the starting position.
3. Repeat 8 to 12 times.

Side stretch

1. Stand nice and tall with your feet placed slightly wider than your shoulders.
2. Raise one arm up and sideways over your head. Try to keep that arm away from your ear as much as possible.
3. Lean to the other side as if you’re trying to reach the ceiling. Avoid twisting your upper body as you lean to the side.
4. Remember to keep your core engaged by pulling in your belly button as you continue to breathe. Also, make sure that your core and glutes are tucked in. You should feel a gentle stretch along the side of your body extending from your lower back up to your shoulder.
5. Hold the stretch for 20 to 30 seconds.
6. Return to the starting position and relax.
7. Do at least 2 sets of 4.
8. Switch sides and repeat the above steps.

Press-up

1. Lie on your stomach.
2. Place your forearms on the floor such that your elbows fall directly under your shoulders.
3. Keep your feet together behind you and your core engaged.
4. Then, lift your upper back by pressing your elbows down into the floor. While pressing up, keep your hips and pelvis in contact with the floor.
5. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds, then lower your chest towards the ground and relax.
6. Aim for at least 2 to 4 reps.

Relax and rest

1. Lie on your back with a rolled towel under your neck and a pillow under your knees. Extend your arms comfortably to your sides.
2. Relax and breathe normally.
3. Remain in this position for about 10 minutes.
4. If you can, do this 2 or 3 times each day.

Back Stretches cat cow

1. Start with your hands and knees on the floor. Align your knees under your hips, and your wrists under your shoulders.
2. Round your back up towards the ceiling while tucking your chin towards your chest.
3. Lift your head and tailbone up towards the sky.
4. Repeat step 2 and step 3 for at least 10 rounds.

Kneeling Back Extension

1. Place a cushion or pad on an exercise mat and kneel on it.
2. Raise your arms and cross them in front of your chest.
3. Exhale completely and tighten your abs and glutes.
4. Tip your torso (upper body) parallel to the ground by shifting your hips back. It’s important to try not to use your lumbar spine to bend forward. The idea is to avoid disrupting your lumbar arch as your back extends.
5. Hold the stretch for a count of 3 as you continue to breathe smoothly.
6. Come back slowly to the starting position.
7. To further challenge your lumbar extensor muscle, you can raise your arms and place them on your head. Then bend your upper body forward using your hips without causing your hips to move back too far. Hold the stretch for a count of 3 and return slowly.
8. Aim for at least 2 sets of 5, equating to a total of 10 repetitions daily.

Sitting Rotation Stretch

1. Sit on a mat with both legs straight in front of you.
2. Cross one leg over the other, so it’s on top of the leg that is stretched out straight.
3. Sit nice and tall and gently twist your spine towards the crossed leg. Place your hand on the side of your bent leg on the ground behind you and the elbow of the arm opposite to the crossed thigh over that knee to maximize support.
4. Keeping your eyes towards the shoulder, hold the stretch for about 20 to 30 seconds.
5. Return to the starting position.
6. Relax and repeat on the opposite side, doing at least 4 reps on each side.

Modified Seat Side Straddle

1. Sit on the floor and spread out both legs.
2. Straighten out one leg to the side while keeping the other leg bent such that the side of that foot touches the floor.
3. Keeping your spine straight, bend from your hips to reach your hands toward the toes of your extended leg. Hold for 5 seconds.
4. Next, as you continue to breathe, bring your chin down as close to your knee as possible.
5. Round your back and move your hands a bit up to your shin or ankle. You will feel a gentle stretch in the back of your thighs as well as your lower and mid back.
6. Hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds and then relax for another 15-30 seconds.
7. Switch side and repeat the above steps.
8. Aim for at least 10 reps daily.

Knee to Chest

1. Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
2. Engage your core by squeezing your abs and keeping your lower back pressed into the floor.
3. Lift one knee and pull it towards your chest by grabbing the underside of your thigh with your hands, while keeping the other foot flat on the floor (or the other leg straight, whichever feels lighter on your lower back).
4. Hold for a count of 15 seconds, followed by 30 seconds.
5. Relax and lower the knee to the starting position.
6. Repeat 2 to 4 times before switching to the other side.
7. Aim for at least 10 reps daily.
8. Once you master the single knee-to-chest exercise, do the double knee-to-chest by pulling both your legs in, and repeating the entire sequence with both knees.

Bird Dog

1. Kneel on the floor on your hands and knees, so that your hands fall directly under your shoulders and your knees are positioned directly under your hips.
2. Squeeze your abs and maintain a neutral spine.
3. Take a deep breath.
4. Upon exhaling, lift and extend one arm straight out from your shoulder and level with your body. Be mindful of not raising your leg too high or letting your spine to curve.
5. At the same time, lift and extend your opposite leg straight out from your hip. Your hips and arms should be parallel to the floor.
6. Tuck your chin into your chest and look down at the floor.
7. While keeping your core engaged, holding this position for 15 seconds. Once you master this level, keep adding the time little by little.
8. Return to the starting position, with your body on all fours.
9. Repeat the entire sequence with the opposite arm and leg.
10. Begin with 1 set of 5 repetitions daily and build up from there.

Plank

1. Sit down on the floor.
2. Lie on the floor on your tummy with your forearms touching the floor and your elbows in line with your shoulders.
3. Tighten and engage your abs and lift your hips evenly off the floor. Remember to continue to breathe throughout the exercise.
4. Squeeze your glutes. You may pike your hips a bit to ease off pressure from your lower back, but do not let your hips sag down as this would create an arch in your back.
5. Activate your quads by squeezing your legs together.
6. Then, lift your knees off the floor and go down on your toes.
7. Keeping your back and chest straight, push your body up while letting your forearms and feet bear the weight. You will feel a stretch in your mid and lower backs, abdominals, and glutes.
8. Hold for 10 to 15 seconds, and as you develop stamina, you may work up the seconds from there.
9. Slowly return on your knees, sit up, and relax for 30 to 60 seconds.
10. Complete at least 2 sets of 15 seconds. Build up from there, eventually coming to 5 sets of 30 seconds.
11. If coming to your toes seems difficult, you can bring your knees back to the floor and only lift your hips up while leaving the lower legs down.

Modified Side Plank

1. Begin by lying down on your side with your elbow bent at 90 degrees directly under your shoulder and your palm placed flat on the floor.
2. Keep your top leg straight while bending your lower leg a bit.
3. You want to make sure that your shoulder and the wrist are aligned.
4. You can either stack or stagger your feet. Staggering is always better than stacking as it provides more stability. If you stagger your feet, the foot of your top leg should come back such that the toes of that foot are behind the heel of the front foot.
5. Squeeze and engage your core and glutes and lift your knee and hips off the floor. Your head must be in line with your feet. Also, make sure that your hips are neither sagging nor too high.
6. Hold this position for a count of 15 seconds. If you feel that you are going to lose alignment, you can drop the bottom knee but keep your body aligned with the elbow under your shoulder and hips centered.
7. Slowly return to the starting position and relax for 30 to 60 seconds.
   Repeat the entire steps on the other side.

Hip Bridge

1. Lie on your back with both of your knees and ankles bent such that only your heels are digging (pressing) into the floor.
2. Squeeze your abs and imagine your belly button been drawn in toward your spine.
3. Then dig your heels further into the floor, tighten your glutes, and lift your hips and thighs off the floor to form a straight line between your shoulders, hips, and knees.
4. Hold for a count of 6 seconds while you continue to breathe smoothly.
5. Slowly drop your hips back down to the floor.
6. Rest for a few seconds.
7. Do at least 8 to 12 reps.

Abdominal Bracing

1. Lie down on your back on the floor with your knees bent and arms by your sides.
2. Keep your lower back pressed into the floor.
3. Position the fingers of both hands at a 45 degrees angle just over your pelvis.
4. Take a deep breathe in, allowing your rib cage to expand as much as you can.
5. As you exhale, tighten your belly muscles while drawing your belly button in towards your spine. You should feel the tension under your fingers as your rib cage lowers. Make sure not to arch your pelvis, shrug your shoulders, hold your breath.
6. Hold the position for 10 seconds and then relax.
7. Aim for at least 5 repetitions daily.
8. If you find it difficult to “brace” your abs, try coughing during the exercise, which should easily create an abdominal brace.

Pelvic tilt exercises lying down

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and soles of your feet on the floor.
2. Engage your abs and imagine your navel drawing in toward your spine as you continue to breathe.
3. As you exhale, gently rock your hips and pelvis toward your head (and not toward your feet). Doing this will make you feel like your lower back is pressing into the floor.
4. Hold for a count of 6 seconds as you continue to breathe in a flow.
5. Relax and repeat 8 to 12 times.