This is Part 1 of a 3-part series. Click to read Part 2 3 Easy Rehab Exercises for Low-Back Pain, or Part 3 Lifestyle Changes for Low-Back Pain (coming soon).
Here’s the thing: I’m not a D.O., physical therapist, rehab specialist, or athletic trainer. On the other hand, there are few people in those professions that are competitive strength athletes that manage a 600lbs+ deadlift with 3x herniated disks. I also haven’t touched ibuprofen, Vicodin, or any other pill in over a year for back pain. The goal of this post is to share a resource with fellow athletes, military members and anyone else that is plagued with chronic back pain.
My Story: From years of shitty lifting technique as a young athlete and routinely carrying 100lbs+ of kit in training and combat patrols, my back is beat up. I have degenerative disk disease, three herniations (L3/L4, L4/L5, L5/S1), and nerve impingement, causing chronic pain. To make it worse, I work primarily at a desk, weigh 230lbs and continue to compete in strength sports. After years of training with a lifting belt at heavy weights, I lost the ability to control my core and stabilize my hips using my own muscles. Even now, I continuously battle with anytime my hips shift out of the proper position which causes an instant, painful, nerve impingement. None of this was self-diagnosed; this has been the conclusion from many professionals including physical therapists and chiropractors. Yay.
The list below is a series of stretches that I learned from Physical Therapy and have used with several other clients to alleviate low back pain. I’m supposed to do them every day… which I don’t… I do try to make sure I’m doing these at least every-other-day.
1. Calf Stretch
I’d never done a calf stretch. Calves, what calves…why do I care about those? Well, apparently they can get tight enough to pull along the chain of muscles and joints all the way up to my back. After my first day of physical therapy, it made a noticeable difference with acute pain. Now it’s a staple in my stretching routine.
30 seconds per side x 2sets
2. Piriformis Stretch
The piriformis is a muscle deep in the glute/hip area that is chronically tight on me and the most prominent culprit of my low back pain. I foam roll and stretch this sucker every day, even if I skip the other stretches.
30 seconds per side x 2sets
3. Hamstring Stretch
A stretch that is a staple for most athletes, but, often done wrong. My hamstrings were both under-activated AND over-tight – a recipe for back pain!
30 seconds per side x 2sets
4. Child’s Pose Stretch
To be honest, I don’t get as much of a stretch from the Child’s Pose as a lot of people I coach. Just because it doesn’t work for me, doesn’t mean you won’t get a lot of relief from it though.
30 seconds down the center, 30 seconds on each side
5. Hip Flexor Stretch
My hip flexors were so tight that even after an adjustment they would pull my pelvis and hips out of alignment. For anyone that sits at a desk or behind the wheel most of the day, working on your tight hip flexors and tight piriformis should be at the top of your list.
30 seconds per side x 2sets