Lower back pain is the leading cause of inactivity in Americans, according to Men's Health magazine. The lower back helps you twist, bend and lift, making your lower back vital to perform daily activities. Lower back pain treatments require a variety of regular exercises to maintain endurance, strength and stability. Begin by performing the exercises once a week for 10 to 30 minutes, then increase to three times per week as your lower back begins to grow stronger.
Exercises Lying on Your Back
Alternate lifting your ankles a few inches up and then down. Repeat this 10 times on each leg, then perform three sets.
Bend and straighten the knees, sliding the heels. Repeat 10 times on each side.
Taking a rolled-up hand towel, lift the right leg in the air and place the towel underneath the right thigh. Hold the left leg straight while stretching your hamstring. Adjust the towel in accordance with how flexible you are. Some may be able to hold the thigh while others may need to hold the towel's ends. Pull the leg as far as you comfortably can toward the chest while feeling a stretch, then hold for 30 seconds. Repeat on the other leg, then repeat the full circuit two more times.
Perform pelvic tilts that make a "C" curve with the spine. With your knees bent, lie flat on the floor. While tightening your abdominal muscles, tilt your pelvis toward the ceiling. Hold for five seconds, then lower back to the ground. Perform a set of 10, then wait 30 seconds and repeat.
Exercises While Standing Up
Stand against a wall with your feet 1 foot in front of your body. Keeping your head against the wall, begin to slowly bend the knees, sliding down the wall until thighs and calves form a 45-degree angle. Hold this position for five seconds, then return to an upright position. Repeat 10 times. You also can place an exercise ball behind your back in order to more easily perform the squat.
Now face the wall, and perform heel raises by slowly rising up to the balls of your feet, then back down. Repeat this action 10 times. If you need to stabilize yourself, hold the wall lightly, but don't place all your weight on the wall.
Exercises on All Fours
While on all fours, perform a "cat" stretch by curving the torso inward and making a "C" shape with your spine. You head should drop, looking toward your legs. This will stretch your lower back and your neck. Hold this position for at least five seconds, then repeat 10 times.
Now perform a camel stretch by reversing the action, making a "U" shape with your spine. While raising your head up, lower the stomach to make a U shape while raising the hips. Hold this position for at least five seconds, then repeat 10 times.
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