Lower back pain can be a debilitating and painful condition.
Fortunately, staying physically active may be the most effective and cost-efficient way to soothe or prevent it.
Here are 8 simple stretches to relieve lower back pain.
Lower back pain affects up to 80% of all people at one time or another (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source).
Although its origin varies, changes in the lumbar, or lower back, structure due to musculoskeletal damage are considered to be the main cause (4Trusted Source).
Your musculoskeletal system is made up of bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other connective tissues that provide form, support, stability, and movement to your body.
Other muscles that play an important role in maintaining the normal curvature of your spinal column are reported to be associated with lower back pain. These include the hip flexor and hamstring muscles (5).
Minor lower back pain normally gets better on its own within a few days or weeks. It can be considered chronic when it persists for more than three months (6Trusted Source).
In either case, staying physically active and regularly stretching can help reduce lower back pain or prevent it from returning (7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source).
The remainder of this article provides eight stretches for lower back pain, all of which you can do in the comfort of your own home with minimal or no equipment.
