Back Pain Exercises

Back Pain Exercises # 7: Single Knee-to-Chin: Extra Stretch

To stretch your lower back

Do not attempt this exercise if you have had a hip replacement.

This back pain exercise is the same as Exercise 3 - with one important difference: after you raise one knee towards your chest as far as you can, clasp your hands just below that knee and apply gradual upward pressure. By using your hands and arms this way, you'll find you can move your knee several centimeters more towards your chest and stretch your lower back more fully.

Frequency: Week 1 - three repetitions of 3 seconds each; by the end of Week 2, six repetitions of 6 seconds each; by the end of Week 3, ten repetitions of 6 seconds each.

Advanced Version 1: Keep one leg fully extended and flat on the floor during the exercise. This enables you to stretch the lower part of your spine even more. However, it also increases the risk of injury to your lower back. So if you're in the process of rehabilitating your back, this variation is not recommended.

But if you want to speed up your back pain relief and get from fit to fitter, add this version to your routine after a month of doing all the exercises in the back pain exercises program

Advanced Version 2: As you bring your knee to your chest; simultaneously raise your head and try to touch your chin to that knee. This variation increases the amount of flexing you do. It also strengthens your abdominal muscles. The only major drawback is a psychological one. In all other back pain exercises I've mentioned, there is no set 'athletic goal', such as having to touch your chin to your knee. And the absence of this kind of goal is a plus, because it allows you to find and slowly expand your own limits.

If you're in reasonably good shape, try the variation I have just described, but don't get competitive and over-stretch in an effort to 'do it successfully'. You have but one goal: progress and back pain relief. I suggest that you try adding this variation to your routine two months after being able to do all the exercises in the program
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If you watched a group of people do the lower back pain exercises and variations described in this section, you would note tremendous differences in the degree to which people can stretch. Some people can touch their knees to their chests on the first try; some take six months to do it; others are never able to do it. It doesn't matter which group you fall into. Simply move to your point of resistance and try, gradually, to expand it.