Top 10 Stretching and Strengthening Exercises for Lower Back

Exercises and Physical activity is what makes our body healthy and fit. Inactivity and Immobility is what weakens our abdominal and back muscles thus making them more prone to strain. Stiff muscles put a strain on the vertebrae hence limiting the spine's natural movements. But physiotherapy exercises can help you alleviate tension, reduce pain, and support the spine. Below mentioned are 10 lower back Exercises that can be recommended by a well-trained physiotherapist.

 

Muscles in the low back, buttocks, abdomen, and hips are necessary for stabilizing and supporting the spine. Keeping these muscles active and strong can help minimize back pain and avoid low back injury. Specific exercises should be prescribed based on the individual's needs. These exercises consist of stretching and strengthening, and also include regular aerobic conditioning.

Abdominal Tucks:

This exercise helps with flexibility, improves blood flow, and enhances movement. The abdominal tucks increase the core body temperature. It warms up the muscles across the abdomen, transverse abdominal muscle as well as the supporting tissue of the core.

• The patient lies on the back with both the knees bent and feet flat.
• Place one hand tightly on the abdomen and tighten the abdominal muscles.
• Then pull towards the spine without holding your breath.
• Perform two sets of 10 repetitions.

Core muscles:

The core muscles are the muscles of the abdomen, back, and pelvis. Exercises that stabilize the core are trained first to reduce low back pain. Core marching works these muscles in a pain-free way.

• The patient lies on the back with knees drawn up and feet flat, engaging the abdominal muscles.
• Maintain this pattern, lift one knee toward the chest without using the hands.
• Keep the abdominals engaged until the patient puts the foot back in the starting position.
• Repeat 15 to 20 times.

Lumbar Extensors:

The posture helps to ease pain and improves overall flexibility. The child pose stretches the low back muscles, as well as the lumbar extensors. This simple stretching exercise is ideal for opening up the lower back and alleviating pain.

• Kneel on the floor and sit on the heels.
• Bend forward with the arms extended in front until the forehead rests on the floor.
• Hold this position for 30 seconds, or as long as the relief is felt from the stretch.

Hip Adductors

• The patient attains a standing position, placing the inside of the ankle on a table or bed.
• Bring the opposite arm straight up next to the ear.
• Lean into the stretching leg and hold this position for 20 to 30 seconds.
• Repeat on each side 3 times.

Hamstrings

• Stand by facing the bed or table.
• Place the back of the heel on the surface so that the leg is straight.
• Lean forward at the hips to stretch the hamstring.
• Hold for 30 seconds and relax.
• Repeat 3 times on each side.

Bird dog hip Extension:

This exercise helps to stabilize the lower back and also the abdominals.

• The patient begins on the hands and knees, shoulders over hands and hips over knees
• Slowly stretch one arm and the opposite leg straight out e.g. right arm, left leg, or vice versa.
• Hold this position for 10 to 15 seconds and bring the limbs slowly down.
• Repeat 15 to 20 times, each time.

Bridging

• The patient begins by lying on a mat on the floor with knees up and feet flat in a comfortable space away from the hips.
• Keep the arms on the floor, and lift the hips off the ground to make a bridge Maintain a straight line from the chest to the knees.
• Hold for 5 to 10 seconds, keep the shoulder blades and neck on the ground, glutes, and abdominals engaged the whole time.
• Slowly bring down the hips to the floor.
• Repeat 15 to 20 times.

Side-to-Side

• The patient lies on the back with the feet pulled toward the hips and the knees up.
• Twist the knees gently to one side and stop when the patient feels that the hips start to come off the table or mat. Keep the upper body in position.
• Bring the knees back the other way and do the same thing on the other side.
• Repeat 25 to 30 times.

Press-ups:

• The patient lies flat on the stomach, brings the elbows to the sides, and places the hands just above the shoulders. The legs should be fully extended, hips with the mat or floor.
• Pull the shoulder blades back and lift the chest off the ground.
• Hold for 5 seconds, making sure that the legs and hips stay in contact with the floor or mat. The neck should stay long and in line with the upper spine the entire time.
• Slowly return the chest to the ground.
• Repeat 15 to 20 times.

Prone Cobras

• The patient lies flat on the stomach with the legs extended, arms at the sides, and hands pressed to the legs.
• Then lifts the chest off the ground, without using the hands, keeping the neck in line. Pull the shoulder blades in and flex the glutes throughout.
• Hold this position for 3 to 5 seconds before slowly lowering the upper body back to the mat or floor.
• Repeat 10 to 15 times.

 

Back pain usually goes away without surgery or too much effort. Sometimes there's nothing you can do to avoid back pain, but physiotherapy treatment is one of the best ways to live a life free of back pain.

This Article was first Published at CB Physiotherapy

 Top 10 Plyometric Exercises to Strengthen Your Whole Body

To increase your muscle power and strength adopt plyometric exercises. Plyometrics are powerful aerobic exercises with high impact potential. If you have the stamina to do plyometric exercises, you should start slowly with easier ones before attempting the more challenging movements. In this blog, we have mentioned a few easiest plyometric exercises for beginners to start with.

 

Plyometric Exercises

Plyometric exercises require exerting the muscles to their maximum potential in short periods.

 

Frog Hops

This exercise engages all the major muscles in the lower body including the hamstrings, glutes, quads, and calves. The core muscles are also worked during frog hops which help to keep the body upright. The frog hop acts as a plyometric as well as a deep dynamic stretching exercise because it starts and ends in a wide squat position.

• An individual starts with hands on the back of the head and then lowers down into a squat position with feet angled out and legs spread wide.
• The individual then explodes up through the ground and jumps up and forward.
• Lands softly in the same squatting position and immediately repeats the jumping movement.

 

Broad Jump

In this exercise, the physiotherapist aims to see how far forward the individual can jump from the starting position without any movement. Broad jumps require leg power and strength. All the major muscles in the legs work hard to send the body forward through the air. Adding the arm swing also engages the upper body and causes a great stretch.

• The person stands with feet at distance same as shoulder-width apart.
• Slowly attain a low squat position while leaning forward, keeping the back straight with the arms up and behind.
• The person then explodes through the ground by pushing through the balls of the feet and swings the arms forward, jumping as far as possible. Then, land gently and immediately repeats a few times.

 

Squat Tuck Jump

The squat tuck jump is an exercise to boost the power of the lower body. This exercise improves jumping ability while getting the heart rate pumping leading to more calories burned in a shorter time.

• To start with the person stands with the feet shoulder-width apart and hands together in front of the chest.
• While leaning forward slightly the person lowers down into a squat position.
• The person then explodes into the air by pushing through the balls of the feet.
• Keeping the back straight throughout the movement. Tuck the knees up to the chest as much as possible.
• And land gently and immediately repeats the movement.

 

Star Jumps

This is a great full-body plyometric exercise that moves the limbs and sends signals through the neuromuscular system quickly. This exercise works all the major lower body muscles. Lifting the arms out to the sides also targets the delts.

• For this exercise, an individual stands with feet together with the arms by the side.
• Bend the knees slightly and explode up by pushing through the balls of the feet, and spread the legs out to the sides while raising the arms up and out to shoulder level.
• Then bring the arms and legs down to starting position while landing gently.
• Immediately repeat the movement from above.

 

Scissor Jumps

Scissor jumps engage the larger lower body muscles including hamstrings, quads, glutes, and calve muscles. This exercise increases the power and strength in the lower body and also improves coordination.

• An individual stands in a staggered stance with the right leg in front and the left leg behind.
• Arms in the opposite position, with the right arm back and left arm forward.
• Then the person explodes through the balls of the front foot jumping into the air. While in the air make a transition where the legs and arms change position, landing gently in the opposite stance.
• Repeat the exercise immediately upon landing, and return to the starting position.

 

Lateral Hops

Lateral hops are exercises that challenge balance and coordination as the stabilizing muscles need to work hard to keep the person under control. Hip flexors, hamstrings, quads, and calves muscles are required to complete this one.

• This exercise is done with hands up out in front and standing on one leg with the knee slightly bent while lifting the other foot off the ground.
• Jump laterally by pushing off the balls of the foot trying to go as far as possible.
• Land softly on the opposite foot and immediately jump back to starting position

 

Front Plank Side Hop

Plyometric exercises work on lower body muscles as well as the core and shoulders.

• To start, the person gets into a plank position with the legs straight and arms stacked under the shoulders.
• Push through the balls of the feet and kick the legs up while bending the knees and keeping the back straight.
• Land on the balls of the feet to one side of the body with knees bent at 90 degrees and calves parallel to the ground.
• Push off through the feet once again repeating the above motion but landing on the opposite side of the body.
• Once more push through the balls of the feet, kicking up and returning to plank position with the legs straight behind.

 

Backward Forward Jumps

Backward forward jumps are a great way to shock the muscles and lead to better balance and stability and at the same time increase power and explosiveness.

• Stand with feet hip-width apart in a quarter squat and lean forward slightly with the arms down by the sides.
• Further, explode off the ground by pushing through the balls of the feet jumping backward while swinging the arms upwards.
• Finally, land gently and immediately recoils into a quarter squat position with the arms back and up behind then jump forwards to the starting position.

 

Jumping Lunges

Jumping lunges are the more advanced version of walking lunges, this exercise targets the glutes, quads, hamstrings, hip flexors, and calves. When performing jumping lunges, the core and stabilizing muscles should be activated.

• Start in a deep lunge position with one leg forward and one behind with both knees bent at 90 degrees.
• Jump up while switching position in mid-air while swinging the arms to help propel up.
• Softly land with the opposite leg forward, and immediately lift off again to repeat the same jumping movement.

 

Plyo Pushups

Plyo push-up is an upper body plyometric exercise that stimulates the fast twitch muscle fibers in the chest, triceps, abs, and shoulders.  In this exercise jumping component is added to explode lifting the hands off the ground.

• Get into a push-up position with back straight, hands slightly wider than shoulder width, and leg straight out behind.
• Slowly lower the chest until it's a few inches from the ground.
• Push through the hands with an explosive force so that the hands come up off the ground
• Gently land and immediately perform the next repetition.

 

Plyometrics is not a low-intensity exercise so it is important that an individual is completely warmed up before attempting them and takes adequate rest between sets.

 

Plyometrics | Advanced Physiotherapy Program to Enhance Strength and Power

In modern-day fitness, Plyometric training has now been incorporated into the exercise training program. Plyometric exercises are powerful aerobic exercises used to increase muscle strength and endurance, thus requiring an individual to exert their muscles to the maximum potential in short periods. Plyometric exercises help to lose fat, run faster, jump higher, hit harder, and reduce the risk of injury.  These exercises have become an important aspect of physiotherapy training regimens.  In this blog. we have discussed Plyometrics and its benefits.

 

What is Plyometrics?

Plyometrics also known as jump training, is usually geared towards highly trained athletes or people in peak physical condition, or those people who wish to improve their fitness. Frog hops, squat tuck jumps, broad jumps, star jumps, lateral hops, etc are some examples of plyometrics. Plyometrics are effective in improving vigorous movements as they take advantage of opposing muscle contractions. These contractions occur when the muscles are shortened or lengthened. Force is produced on both sides of these muscle contractions. The three major segments include:

 

Eccentric Contractions: This is when the muscles are stretched and lengthened while producing force. The stretched muscle stores potential energy in its elastic components. This is the loading or absorption phase.

Amortization Phase: This is the phase between the eccentric and concentric contractions of the muscle. Dynamic stabilization occurs as the muscle rebounds from storing the energy to releasing it.

Concentric Contractions: In this phase, the muscles are shortened while force is still produced. The stored force is released in this phase, which helps in propelling. For example during jumping movements. The landing portion of the jump causes the muscles to lengthen i.e eccentric contraction and while the jumping portion of the exercise is when the muscles are shortened, causing the concentric contraction.

 

Benefits of Plyometrics

There are multiple benefits of plyometrics including the enhanced performance of muscles, nerves, and tendons.

Quicker Nerves: Plyometrics involve different contraction forces, which result in sending messages to the brain through the neuromuscular system. As plyometrics revolves around quick and explosive movements, therefore the neuromuscular system has to work in overdrive to improve its function by enabling contraction and relaxation of the muscles quickly.

 

Stronger Tendons: Plyometrics training exercises require strong tendons because the movements are fast and powerful. By performing plyometrics an individual builds up the strength and elasticity in the tendons which might help, to avoid injuries.

 

Stronger Muscles: Due to the nature of plyometrics exercises, muscle fibers must convert strength into speed. These exercises can strengthen and increase the amount of fast-twitch muscle fibers in the muscles. The stronger and more abundant fast-twitch muscle fibers result in faster muscle contraction.

 

Improve the Performance: Plyometric exercise training can enhance physical power. These exercises increase vertical jump height and long jump distance, reduce sprint time, improve running, enhance joint position awareness and lead to better postural control.

 

Injury Reduction: Strengthened tendons cause fewer injuries. Plyometrics done in combination with dynamic stabilization exercises also reduces ligament injury risk.

 

Weight loss, Burns Calories & Reduces Fat: Plyometrics requires the body to produce a lot of force and power to propel the body weight off the ground. These movements require the muscles to consume a lot of energy leading to more calories burned in shorter periods. The high intensity of plyometric exercises enables an individual to burn more calories post-exercise as it can end up in excess post-exercise oxygen consumption up to 48 hours after plyometric training.

 

Plyometric exercises can cause stress to the tendons, and ligaments, thus it's important that an individual has the strength and fitness level necessary to do these exercises safely and effectively. While adding plyometric exercises slowly increases the duration, difficulty, and intensity of the exercises. It's important to keep the short time in between these two segments to reap the most benefits of doing plyometrics.

This article was first published at CB Physiotherapy