Stretches for Lower Back and Hip Pain

Our modern day to day life forces us to be in a seated position for many hours. We sit while we are at work, we sit in the car, and we even sit at home. That means that we sit throughout the whole day. By constantly being in that position, the muscles in our body are getting tight and stiff, while others are weakened. The traps, hip flexors and hamstrings need stretching, but the glutes, abs and back need strengthening. The tension in the hips causes pain in the lower back, because the hip flexors are connected with the lumbar spine and when they are tight, they pull the spine, resulting in pain. Some now we will present some useful exercises to ease the tension.

Supine figure

Lay on your back and bend your knees while keeping your feet at hip width apart. Bend one leg and put the ankle of the same leg over your other knee. Then put your hands behind your second leg and start pulling towards yourself while still lying on the ground. Then repeat the same thing for your other leg.

Child’s pose

Get on the ground with your arms and knees on the floor. Your knees should be apart and your feet towards each other. Then you sit on your feet and stretch out your arms on the ground as far as you can, all while you place your forehead on the ground.

Runner’s lunge

Just like the previous one, get down on all four. Then move one leg a bit in front of the hand on the same side and keep your other leg and both hands on the ground. And then start pushing your hips forward. Do the same with the other leg.

Figure twist

The starting position of this exercise is the same as the supine figure. Then you put the ankle of one leg over the thigh of the other one, while keeping your arms stretched to the sides. Then tilt your lower body towards the side of the leg that is over the other one. Repeat the whole thing for the other leg as well.

Wide legged forward fold

Stand up with your feet wider than hip width and keep them faced forward. Start lowering your upper body while bending the knees a little bit. Go on until you reach the ground and stay that way for some time. Then gently work your way up again.

Adductor opener

The starting position is like in the previous exercise, but this time your feet are pointed slightly outwards. Squat down and put your hands right above your knees. Push the keens outside and just like the exercise says, open your adductors.

Cow face pose

Sit on the ground and bend one leg on the inside. Then bend the other one and place it above the first one. The knees should be over one another. Keep your hands on the side as slight stabilizers. Then straighten out your back and breathe deeply.

Happy baby

Lay on your back and tuck your knees towards your chest. Then use your hands to grab your feet or ankles. If you can’t do this, then grab your knees instead, but always keep the lower back in contact with the floor.

Seated twist

Sit on the ground, bend one leg and place the heel next to the pelvis on the opposite side. Then go with the other leg over the first one and place the foot next to its thigh. Place one hand on the ground for support, and the other arm’s elbow on the knee of the upper leg. Straighten up your back and slightly twist on the side of the upper leg, and take deep breaths. Go easy on this one, because it’s probably the trickiest of them all.