Our Favorite Low Back Exercise

04/12/2021

The Cat-Cow

Our favorite exercise for low back pain that most anyone can do to help stretch and calm low back pain and correct posture that works the flexion and extension of your entire back. And of course, we're here to help you do them properly as well.

This exercise is used for:

  1. Unlevel pelvis, this is the starting point of learning the correct tilt of the pelvis.
  2. Too much or too little curve in the low back, mid back or neck.
  3. To train breathing with movement of the spine.

This movement is the foundation for proper movement in the spine without any twisting. The movement pattern is important in lifting, getting out of a chair, sitting up and even standing properly.

Cow

  • Start on your hands and knees. Hands under shoulders, knees and feet hips-width distance. Try to keep your spine flat like a table.
  • On an inhale, drop your belly button towards the floor while keeping an engagement in the lower abdominals so you don't jam into the low back.
  • Look up with your head trying to use the lower part of your neck to bring your eyes looking straight in front of you.
  • Pull your chest forward as if you were dragging your hands back to meet your knees. This will naturally drop your shoulders away from the ears, and add some separation in the lower back.

Cat

  • From the cow pose, start to draw your belly button to your spine, bringing the back through the starting position. Breathe out when you start this movement at a pace that will let you blow out till the end of the movement.

  • Keeping the flow of movement, continue to draw the belly button in, so that your hips begin to tilt upward and back. This will make you begin to arch your back beginning with the lower back moving up into your mid back.
  • Keep the fingers spread wide as you push your arms to the floor.
  • Let the head drop beginning with the top of your neck then allowing the lower part of your neck to follow and hang relaxed.
  • Work up to complete set of 10.