And of course the right exercises.
You can get both – including a video to participate – in this article.
Have fun!
Who should mobilize their lumbar spine anyway?
In principle, everyone can benefit from the exercises presented.
Remaining in one position for too long is poison for your spine. If you want to mobilize your lumbar spine (lower back), the following exercises will help you
They are particularly helpful for people who sit a lot – for example, if you have an office job or in general sitting in front of the computer a lot. But basically the exercises are suitable for everyone who spends a lot of time in the same posture. This means that even if you have a standing work station, the load on the lumbar spine can be great and mobilization exercises can be used sensibly.Whereby – should we really mobilize the lumbar spine? We’ll come to that in a moment …
I also often feel that I sit in front of the screen all day and there is a certain tension in my upper back. I have already written something about mobilizing the thoracic spine for this purpose.
Maybe it affects you more in your lower back – i.e. in the lumbar spine.
What exactly is going on in your body?
Well, to put it simply: You’re rusting!
This means that your vertebral joints become stiff due to insufficient movement and your muscles can no longer be controlled as well by your nervous system. Both together are consequences of rigid postures (regardless of whether the back is straight or crooked). In the lower back – that is, in the lumbar spine – it often has to compensate for immobility in the hips or thoracic spine, although it is basically built for stability.
So the lumbar spine is a – let’s call it – joint that should be stable. Michael Boyle reports on this in his Joint by Joint Approach. The exercises therefore differ from those for the thoracic spine, which is a mobile joint.
Don’t fall into the misconception that your lumbar spine becomes stable if you don’t move it.
You may know the principle.
Use it or loose it.
This also applies to the mobility and stability of your spine. If you no longer move them properly in everyday life and do not strain the muscles in question because you have a sedentary lifestyle, you just have to make sure that they remain supple and strong as compensation.
The following exercises will help you.
1. LWS Cat / Horse
In this exercise, you prop your forearms and head on the mat to block your thoracic spine. This is a better way to learn to move your lumbar spine vertebra by vertebra. Your hips dictate the movement.
2. Cat / Horse Segmental
You may know the classic – alternating cat humps and horseback. This exercise is one level higher in difficulty. You should perform the movement segmentally, i.e. as best you can, vertebra by vertebra. It is important that the head and hips never move at the same time.
So you start at one end and then move vortex by vortex until you reach the other end. One end is the head, the other the hip – or vice versa. In the video, I first do the exercise from my head, then later from my hips.
3. Glute Kick
We now come to the first stabilizing exercise. It’s about keeping your hips steady and not twisting when you kick up. Bend your leg and perform the movement as if you want to push an imaginary ceiling further up.
4. Shoulder Taps
Get into the starting push-up position with your legs apart. Place your hands close together, then take turns tapping your shoulder. Make sure that your hips and thus also your lumbar spine remain stable and do not twist out.
5. Bridge Walk
Lie on your back, push your pelvis up, tense and then “walk” in this position. Again, make sure that your pelvis remains stable and that you do not evade when you raise or lower a leg.
6. Leg slider
Finally, a fine, calming mobilization exercise. To do this, lie down on your back and alternately push one leg forward, as if you wanted to push something away with your foot.
Mobilize the lumbar spine: your exercise video to participate
As promised, you can find the exercise video here.
The number of repetitions of the exercises:
- LWS Cat / Horse 10x
- Cat / Horse Segmental 10x
- Glute Kick (per side) 10x
- Shoulder Taps (per side) 10x
- Bridge Walk (per page) 10x
- Leg slider (per side) 10x
Have fun training!
