Back pain is something that affects almost all of us, irrespective of our physical-fitness levels. It's something that can be caused due to numerous triggers, which may sometimes be hard to accurately pinpoint; however, the most common among them happen to be injury, strenuous activity, or even bad posture. Irrespective of how it's caused, the focus is how to get rid of this back pain, which can be achieved by doing certain exercises that strengthen the spine and the muscles in the back, shoulder, and collar area. With this in mind, here is a list of the top back pain exercises:
1. The Butterfly: A great exercise to reduce upper-back pain, the butterfly needs you to place your hands on your shoulders and then bring your elbows together until they touch. Ensure that your upper arms are at a 90-degree angle with your torso while doing this exercise.
2. Knee rolls: An exercise meant for the lower back, knee rolls need you to lie flat on the floor with a mat of medium softness under you. Look up at a fixed object directly above you on the ceiling and spread out your arms; then, bend your knees while they're touching each other (the feet too must be in contact with each other). Now, bend from your waist and try touching your knees on the floor on their respective sides while taking deep breaths in between.
3. Hostage stretch: The hostage stretch is a back-pain exercise with a quirky name that requires you to sit on a stool against a wall with your back and the back of your head touching the wall. Then, stretch your arms over your head without bending your elbow, such that your shoulder touches the wall. Hold this position for a while before you return back to the resting position.
4. Hip extension: Perhaps one of the most popular exercises for back pain, the hip extension is done on all fours, with your head pointed at the floor (an important step since it prevents the neck). Then, you bring one knee forward and pull the other leg back to full stretch, while bending your neck to look forward at the same time. Repeat this with the other leg as well.
5. Arm reach: Yet another exercise done on all fours, the arm reach is done in the exact same starting position but needs you to keep your neck parallel to the floor at all times. Once in position, stretch one arm forward without bending it at the elbow such that it's parallel to the ground at all times; then, come back to the starting position and repeat this with your other arm.
