I've had a really sore back recently, comes with sitting at a desk all day.  You know the story, I get up, sit down to have my breakfast, shower, sit in the car on the way to work and then spend the day sitting on my behind with a small interlude when I walk to the cafeteria and SIT!   

I went to the doctor and a few other less conventional medics (accupuncturist and deep tissue massage man) who all came to the same conclusion.  I needed to do something to move my back more and get it working.  Apparently, we're meant to make our back muscles work a bit harder than we do.  In Asia for example, they sit cross legged and this makes their back and pelvis work much harder, strengthening their backs as a matter of daily life.  

Now I've searched around a bit and have found a few good exercises for lower back that actually made my it feel a lot looser after only about a week.  I'll show these below.  Oh yes, I forgot to say that what you also need to do during the day is get up about ever 30mins or so and do a bit of stretching.  Try and touch your toes, clasp your hands together and reach for the sky and give your shoulders a bit of a roll around.  This may seem a bit daft to your co-workers, but I'm all for being a bit different at work, and you never know, it might catch on...  

So, the lower back pain and sciatica exercises I was going on about go something like this....

Exercise 1:position yourself on all fours and try this stretch called ‘the cat’. You need to start with your back straight before stretching towards the ceiling. Hold the stretch for a count of five while you breathe out and then slowly move your body back to the starting position. 

You should repeat these types of exercises for lower back more than once because you feel yourself getting looser after each repetition. 

 

Exercise two: lie face down on the floor and try to stretch you arms out straight in front of you. Slowly lift your leg, slightly bent at the knee as far as you can towards the ceiling and hold for three seconds. Repeat this exercise five times.

Exercise three: lie flat on your back with your arms beside you. Bend your knees so that your lower back is touching the floor. 

Slowly lift your pelvis upwards and push forwards. Repeat this exercise ten times and hold at the point of maximum stretch.

 

 

 

Exercise four: This is designed to improve your core strength as well as lower back. Kneel down on the floor and face forwards. Lean forward and position your forearms on the floor and taking some of your bodyweight.  

Move your legs out until they are straight and suspend your body by your toes and forearms only. Keep your body as straight as possible and hold the position for about twenty seconds. Repeat the exercise two or three times. 

 

The final exercise is a little tricky, but I got the hang of it after a few attempts. 

Exercise five: Lie flat on the ground and stretch your arms out in front of you. Lift your arms up and start to lift your lower back upwards. Hold this position for three seconds and repeat about five times, building up to more repetitions with a bit of practice.

The medics also let me know that you need to think about your pelvis and hips too as I was also informed that by loosening these areas, you relieve a great pressure on your back and it should help greatly with your sciatica. 

You should find that by doing these exercises for lower back pain, you will increase your overall back flexibility and reduce any back pain that you are experiencing in a short space of time.  I hope they help!