Back pain is like visits from your in-laws, you never know how annoying it is, until you can’t get rid of it. While I’m making light of a common issue, low back pain can make it impossible to enjoy our favorite activities like hiking, make it difficult to work, and decrease our quality of life.

The good news is, that there are very effective back pain treatments available. What’s more, there are some amazing drug-free back pain treatments, like yoga or stretching,  that can provide relief without the use of medications that may have unwanted side effects.

One of my favorite ways to treat back pain and improve my spinal flexibility is yogic stretching. And what’s great is there are many in-person classes and yoga DVDs for back pain available for a more guided experience.

But before I get into the most effective stretches for pain, let’s talk about your spine and what causes back pain.

The Common Causes of Back Pain

A healthy spine means a healthy life because your spine is literally at the center of everything you do. The spine is a series of vertebrae, or small bones, that support you from the base of your skull down to your pelvis. It is divided into five regions: cervical (neck), thoracic (mid-back), lumbar (lower back), sacrum, and coccyx (tail bone), and with so many intervertebral discs, nerve roots, and spinal joints, back pain is incredibly common, and often incredibly painful.

Some of the most common causes of pain in the back include:

• Strains and sprains
• Structural issues
• Movement & posture
• Infection
• Sleep disorders
• Cancer

** As you can see by the above list, some causes of back pain can be serious, so it’s always a good idea to check in with your doctor to diagnose the underlying cause of your issue.

Now, yoga and stretching is one of the best ways to be proactive about spinal health because keeping a flexible spine means keeping all these spinal components working together for optimal mobility. But the other great thing about stretching is that it is an excellent tool for those already experiencing back pain.

7 Simple Stretches to Reduce Back Pain

The following stretches will help not only ease immediate pain but promote more long-term spinal health:

Cat-Cow Pose

Come to a tabletop position. Keep your arms shoulder-distance apart, and knees and feet hip-distance apart. Inhale as you gaze up and lift your tailbone as your belly lowers. This is a cow pose.

Then, exhale and come into cat pose. Tuck your tailbone and draw your navel toward your spine. Lower your head and tuck your chin toward your chest.

This is an excellent pose to warm up the body and bring some flexibility to the spine.

Spinal Twist 

Lie on your back. Bring your knees into your chest and bring your arms into a T- or goal post shape. Keep knees together and slowly lower them to one side, keeping your gaze up toward the sky or in the opposite direction for a gentle neck stretch.

For a deeper stretch, you can leave one leg extended straight as you move the other across your body.

You can place a bolster between the knees or underneath the knee(s) for a more restorative option.

Focus on keeping both shoulders grounded on the mat. The shoulder opposite the crossed leg(s) will naturally want to lift off the mat, which is one reason a bolster helps in this stretch.

Child’s Pose 

Come to a tabletop position and spread your knees as wide as your mat, letting your toes touch behind you. Lower your torso between your knees and rest your forehead and shoulders on the mat.

This pose may not feel like much of a backstretch, but it does help elongate the spine. Many of us spend much of the day sitting, putting a lot of weight into the lower back without engaging the abdominals, which is what causes compression.

If you experience any discomfort in the knees, you can perform the same movement with the knees kept together.

Place the bolster between your legs, then gently fold onto the bolster, resting your head and upper body for a restorative option.

Downward Facing Dog 

Come to a tabletop position with your toes tucked under. Press into the palms and press back until legs are almost fully extended with tailbone toward the ceiling. Keep your knees bent as much as you need to in order to keep the back straight. Over time you can work the heels closer to the ground.

Tight hamstring muscles can contribute to lower back pain, so this pose is not only beneficial for lengthening the spine but stretching that main muscle group that runs from the hip to the back of the knee.

Plank Pose

Come to a tabletop position, then engage the core as you slowly lift the knees off the mat and bring your body into a straight line. Continuing to focus on the core will keep you from rounding the back and in a safely aligned plank.

To modify this pose, you can drop down to your forearms.

When it comes to back pain, it is important to focus on the hips as well. When the hip flexors are tight, it can affect the pelvis’s rotation and positioning, which can lead to compression in the lower back. This pose will help strengthen the core and open the hips to improve your pelvic orientation, abdominal strength, and overall posture.

Cobra Pose

Lie on your belly and keep toes pointed, feet pressing down into the mat. Place hands underneath your shoulders, and keep your elbows bent and close to your ribs. Press into the hands as you lengthen the spine, keeping the chest open. Keep the knees, thighs, and hips on the ground. Keep your gaze forward.

Only come up as high as is comfortable or to feel enough of a stretch. From here, you can always move to a high cobra or upward-facing dog. But staying in cobra pose will help alleviate back pain and promote the natural curvature of the lumbar spine.

Bridge Pose

Lie on your back and bring your feet hip-distance (about two fists) apart. Walk the feet in toward the hips, so the knees are directly over the heels when you lift them. Engage the glutes and core as you raise the hips, but do not overextend them because this will lead to overarching and compression of the lower back. This means you do not have to lift the hips but a few inches to benefit from this stretch.

This pose helps to relieve back pain and strengthen the back body but can also cause pain if done incorrectly. One good way to avoid this is to opt for the restorative version of this pose and place a block at its lowest height underneath your sacrum so you can be gently supported in this spinal extension.

In Conclusion

Nearly 65 million people report a recent occurrence of back pain. Whether you engage in a full yoga class or use just a few of the poses from a book, yoga and stretching are both effective modalities to reduce pain. While all of these yoga stretches are safe and effective for back pain, keep in mind you want to do them carefully and correctly. When I first started, I found using a yoga book for back pain that included pose descriptions and pictures very helpful.

Remember to listen to your body because everyone is different, and always feel free to shift around and modify to find the appropriate sensation and stretch for you. When in doubt, consult your favorite yoga instructor about how to safely perform a pose and if necessary modify to your needs.

And of course, if you have any questions, you can always comment below and I’m happy to help!

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