3 Reasons Why Your Lower Back Hurts and How to Fix it

An estimated 46% of Americans over the age of 18 are living with some form of low back pain. That’s 145 million people living in constant pain, either from sports, work, or accidents! You’ve probably come to this blog because you’re one of those people currently living in pain and looking for stretches to help your lower back pain.

If you’re sitting there asking yourself “Why does my lower back hurt?” without any idea of how to fix it, you might think that this pain will be with you forever. Maybe you’ve tried physical therapy. You’ve done all the exercises your chiropractor tells you, but so far nothing has helped.

But have you considered where your lower back pain comes from before starting exercise to fix it? You can avoid frustration by starting with the right answers. With the right answers, you'll be on the right track to healing your lower back pain. As always, you can consult your doctor for more information.

Causes of Low Back Pain

There are many different causes of lower back pain because your lower back is a complicated part of your body. Some common causes of lower back pain are:

• Sitting
• Hip immobility
• Lumbar Mobility
• Stomach Sleeping
• Muscle Weakness
• Improper Standing Posture

Since there are so many causes of lower back pain, there are also many sources. Typically, low back pain often appears from 3 different sources. Your SIJ, disc injuries, and your QL. Each source and each cause must be treated differently in order for you to overcome your pain.

SACROILIAC JOINT (SIJ) PAIN

There are numerous joints in the lower back, but the Sacroiliac Joint is usually the one that gets “locked” up. This causes you to experience a sharp twinge or stabbing pain very low on either side of the lower back.

The SIJ is located to the right and left of the sacrum (the top of your butt crack). The SIJ usually hurts when you move and change positions. In this instance, a few chiropractic adjustments can help relieve the pain.

LOWER BACK DISC INJURIES

Numerous injuries can occur to the lumbar vertebral discs and the surrounding vertebrae. But the pain you experience from these different types of disc pain is often similar.

Disc pain often presents as a sharp, achy pain in the center of the back at the spine. I can personally describe it as “a knife being dug into a wound and left there,” and many of my patients agree!

The major telltale sign that you are experiencing disc pain is if you have traveling pain that shoots down into the buttocks, leg, and foot. This is Sciatica and it usually only affects one side. But, if the injury is severe enough, sciatica can occur down both legs. Touching your toes or curling into a ball makes the pain exponentially worse in the lower back and can cause sciatic pain to increase. In some severe back injuries, bending backward will increase pain and send it down the leg.

THE QUADRATUS LUMBORUM MUSCLE

This type of lower back pain is dull, achy, and often hurts with prolonged sitting or standing. The QL muscle is often overlooked. Check out our 3 part series on this particular issue! We have detailed QL stretching and mobility exercises here, here, and here.

Exercises and Stretches for Low Back Pain

SACROILIAC JOINT (SIJ) PAIN

We go a little deeper into these exercises here. But here are some must-have exercises and stretches for SIJ pain.

1. ROLL-UP EXERCISE

• Core strength is essential for reducing any type of lower back pain. Start this exercise by lying flat on the floor with your knees bent.

2. PIGEON STRETCH

• Like the hip flexors, a muscle called the piriformis can also contribute to imbalances in the hip.

3. HIP FLEXOR STRETCH

• This stretch is a go-to if you sit all day. The hip flexor muscles can get very tight due to excessive sitting. Often, one side will often become significantly tighter than the other, creating an imbalance in the pelvis.

4. SACROILIAC JOINT STRETCH

• This stretch will help to increase mobility in the lower back and hips. If you push/pull hard enough, you may actually adjust your own sacroiliac joint.

LOWER BACK DISC INJURIES

Again, we have a dedicated post that goes into how to perform these stretches effectively. Read about them in detail here and here.

1. PRESS-UP

• This is a classic exercise for disc patients. Expect to have 4 out of 10 pain during this exercise if you are suffering from a Herniation and Sciatica. This will subside over the coming weeks.

2. HIP FLEXOR STRETCH

• The hip flexor muscles will compress your injured disc when they are tight. This stretch is a MUST and will definitely help to reduce your disc pain over time.

3. BRIDGE

• The bridge is excellent for strengthening the glutes.

4. BIRD DOG

• This is another classic exercise to strengthen numerous muscles in the lower back.

THE QUADRATUS LUMBORUM MUSCLE

We posted a 3 part series on the QL and how to stretch and exercise it. If this is what’s causing your low back pain, then read more about these exercises in our other post here, here, and here.

1. PELVIC TILT

• Pelvic tilts are extremely important for understanding your posture. These movements will help loosen up your joints as well as the muscles of the hips and low back.

2. HIP FLEXOR STRETCH

• This stretch is a go-to for all types of back pain. The hip flexor muscles can get very tight due to excessive sitting and will compress the spine.

3. LACROSSE BALL

• This is an awesome self-massage technique for your QL muscle.

4. QL STRETCH

• Stretching out your QL can relieve any pain you're experiencing, but keep in mind that your pain may come back. If you're not using your core and holding your back in the correct position, your QL pain will continue.

5. STANDING

1. If you're sitting most of the day at work, we highly recommend these VariDesks.

If your lower back pain has taken over your life, and you’re afraid you’ll never feel back to normal, then these stretches and exercises are a great start. But, they may only temporarily relieve your pain. If you aren’t moving and utilizing your body correctly, your pain will reappear.

That’s why we created the MoveU Forever Fix Program. Read more about the program here, and why it’ll do more than relieve your pain for now, but help you on the way to a more pain-free life.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below or email us at [email protected].