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7 Stretches for Lower Back Pain

By: Lindsey Bomgren, CPT | February 13, 2025

Lower back pain is incredibly common – but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do about it. These are my favorite stretches for quickly finding relief from low back pain. This quick flow includes seven gentle stretches intended to both release and strengthen tight lower back muscles.

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Sitting at a desk all day, bending and twisting to care for children, picking up heavy objects – all of these common daily tasks can contribute to lower back pain.

The fact that the common causes of back pain are so “ordinary” may be the reason back pain is so common: 80% of adults have reported experiencing back pain (Mayo Clinic).

During my pregnancies, I had back pain at a level I had never experienced before (that’s what led to the development of our popular Sciatica Stretches, SI Joint Pain Relief and Pregnancy Stretches for Back Pain videos).

I personally started including these stretches for lower back pain in my routine 1-2 times a week to help reduce stiffness and pain.

Once you have reduced your active pain, you can work on preventing future flare-ups by incorporating both stretching exercises, like those found in this post, and strengthening exercises (like these back exercises for women) to your weekly routine.

woman performing bird dog pose to release lower back

Essential Lower Back Stretching Exercises

These are the best stretching and strengthening exercises to both treat and prevent lower back pain.

Add these lower back exercises to your home workout routine 1-2 times a week to release tight muscles.

Workout Equipment:

Optional bench or box. You can also use a couch or chair.

Workout Instructions:

Follow along with the guided Lower Back Pain Relief Video on YouTube, led by certified personal trainer Lindsey Bomgren. 

Your Workout Looks Like This:

  • 7 Stretches for Lower Back Pain
  • Timed Intervals (hold each stretch for 40-60 seconds)
  • Perform Each Low Back Stretch x1 (no repeats)

Workout Outline

  1. Incline Cat/Cow Rolls
  2. Tensor Fasciae Latae (TFL) and Iliotibial (IT) Band Hip Sink
  3. Figure 4 Stretch
  4. Bird Dog
  5. Thread the Needle 
  6. Child’s Pose
  7. Supine Spinal Twist

7 Stretches for Low Back Pain

1. Incline Cat/Cow

Targets: All the muscles along your spine and releases low back tension. Also improves blood flow between the vertebrae of your spine, which can relieve back pain and tension.

Performing cat/cow from an incline (versus quadruped on the floor in standard cat/cow) allows for greater range of motion through the lower back.

demonstration of cat cow pose as example of Lower back stretching exercises

How To Do Incline Cat Cow Pose

  1. Start standing in front of a box, couch or chair, feet hip-width apart. Place your hands on the surface in front of you.
  2. Find a neutral spine — think of the spine as a straight line connecting the shoulders to the hips. Keep the neck long by looking down and out.
  3. Inhale deeply, letting your belly expand as you raise your gaze towards the ceiling, curving through your lower back and tilting your pelvis up to find cow pose.
  4. On your exhale, press through your palms to push your chest away, tucking your tailbone and pulling your belly button towards your spine as you drop your head, gazing towards your navel. Allow a generous arch in your back, finding cat pose.
  5. Continue this pattern, alternating cat/cow pose on each breath.

2. Tensor Fasciae Latae (TFL) and Iliotibial (IT) Band Hip Sink

Targets: Tensor Fasciae Latae (TFL) and Iliotibial (IT) Band – AKA the muscles and tendons that help to extend, abduct, and rotate the hips.

woman showing how to release IT band as example of stretches for lower back pain

How To Do Tensor Fasciae Latae (TFL) and Iliotibial (IT) Band Hip Sinks

  1. Start in a side plank position, right forearm resting on a box or bench, elbow under shoulder, feet extended, creating a long line with your body.
  2. Step your outside (left) leg over your right leg, planting it flat on the ground to create a 90-degree angle in your left knee.
  3. Breathe, thinking about sinking your right hip closer to the ground with each exhale.

3. Figure-4 Stretch (Piriformis Stretch)

Targets:  The hips and glutes – specifically the piriformis muscle (a flat, band-like muscle located in the buttocks near the top of the hip joint).

seated woman showing how to release lower back with figure 4 stretch

How To Do Figure-4 Stretches

  1. Start in a seated position, sitting up straight and legs straight in front of you.
  2. Pick up your right leg and cross your right ankle over your left knee (creating a “4” shape with your legs)
  3. Pull your left heel in towards your glutes, planting your left foot on the ground. You should feel a stretch in your right glute and hip.
  4. Breathe, rolling your shoulders back and keeping your posture tall.

4. Bird Dog

Targets: Erector spinae, glutes, hamstrings, shoulders and abs.

woman strengthening lower back with bird dog exercise

How To Do Bird Dogs

  1. Find a quadruped position with your knees hip-width apart and hands firmly on the ground, about shoulder-width apart. Engage your core by pulling your belly button to your spine.
  2. Find a bird dog position by extending your right leg back, floating it off the ground. As you extend the right leg back, extend the opposite arm (left arm) straight out in front of you.
  3. Hold the right leg back and left arm out for a moment, then return to the starting position on all fours.
  4. Then repeat this movement on the other side of the body; extending the left leg long and the right arm straight out in front of you.

5. Thread The Needle

Targets: Thoracic spine, neck, shoulders, upper back and lower back.

thread the needle pose demonstrated by woman on mat

How To Do Thread the Needle Pose

  1. Start in a table top position on all fours with hips over knees and shoulders over wrists.
  2. Extend your left leg long, toes in line with your left hip.
  3. Then reach your left arm overhead towards the ceiling, while also turning your head up towards the ceiling; gaze follows fingertips. Opening the chest and shoulders. Hold for a moment.
  4. Then ‘thread the needle’, reaching your left hand between your right hand and right knee; lowering left shoulder and ear to the mat. Hips stay high.
  5. Hold this position for a moment, breathing to deepen the stretch.
  6. Open your left hand towards the ceiling, returning to the starting position and repeat.

6. Child’s Pose

Targets: Hips, inner thighs, feet, spine and back.

woman showing extended child's pose as example of Stretches for Lower Back Pain

How To Do Child’s Pose

  1. Start in a wide table top position, quadruped on all fours, shoulders stacked over wrists, knees outside of hips, bringing your big toes to touch. 
  2. Find a neutral spine — think of the spine as a straight line connecting the shoulders to the hips. Keep the neck long by looking down and out.
  3. As you exhale, shift your hips back towards your heels and lower your torso between your knees.
  4. Then walk your hands away from your body. Extend your hands as far out in front of you as possible, shoulders relaxed.
  5. Hold this position, opening your hips and lengthening from fingertips to tailbone with each exhale.

7. Supine Spinal Twist

Targets: Upper back, lower back, shoulders, chest and abs.

woman laying on her back showing how to perform supine spinal twist

How To Do Supine Spinal Twists

  1. Begin laying on your back, knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Pull your knees towards your chest, inhaling to let your belly expand. Open your arms out to the sides, palms up and arms at shoulder level. Focus on keeping both shoulders pressed into the mat.
  2. Keeping both knees bent, drop your left knee to the mat as you cross your right knee over your midline. Right hip is stacked over the left hip. Take deep breaths, rotating through the spine to draw the right knee closer to the ground with each exhale.
  3. Reverse the motion, returning to the starting position.

FAQs

Why Does My Lower Back Hurt During Deadlifts?

Improper form, limited mobility in the hamstrings, and a weak core can all result in lower back pain during bent deadlifts. You can try a suitcase hold (holding the weights at the sides of your thighs versus in front of your legs) to reduce pressure on the low back.

Why Is Back Pain So Common During Pregnancy?

Pregnancy back pain can largely be attributed to gaining weight, a shifting center of gravity, and hormones relaxing the ligaments in the joints of your pelvis. A growing uterus also stretches out and weakens your abdominal muscles (also known as diastasis recti), which puts a strain on your back (American College of Gynecologists).

Does A Strong Core Prevent Lower Back Pain?

Although there’s no “magic” way to prevent low back pain, strengthening your core is one way you can reduce the risk of common injuries that cause low back pain. Additionally, strengthening the core can help improve your posture, which can help prevent back pain.

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2 comments

  1. Hi, I broke my ankle skiing over the holiday. I’m 6 weeks post surgery and starting to walk with a boot but without crutches. Can you recommend a full body workout that can be done without putting too much weight on my leg and ankle?

    Thank you,
    Megan Kortum

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