In this video, I’m going to show the absolute best movement to take pressure off a pinched
nerve in the lower back.
Hey everyone, Dr. Rowe here at SpineCare in St. Joseph, MI.
I see patients on a daily basis with pinched nerves due to bulging discs and herniated
discs, and these exercises I’m going to show have helped a lot of them find quick relief.
With a herniated disc in the lower back, we need to focus on extension or backward movement.
This movement is important since it helps bring bulging material back inside the disc
and off pinched nerves.
The goal of these stretches is not only to decrease pain levels, but also to get what
we call centralization of nerve pain.
That’s a way of saying that if you put pressure on a nerve, it will cause it to travel, such
as a shooting sciatica pain down the leg.
If you relieve the pinch off the nerve, it will start to heal by having the pain travel
back to the starting point, which would be the low back.
In a nutshell, if you feel less pain and it’s not traveling as far after doing these stretches,
then you know they are working for you!
So I’m going to show variations of extension exercises in different positions.
These will include lying on your back, your stomach, seated and standing.
They’ll give you many options to experiment with, so give them a try and go with the ones
that feel the most comfortable for you.
Let’s get started and get feeling better right now.
For this first exercise, lie on your back with a rolled up towel under your lower back.
This exercise helps to arch your lower back, relieving pressure on the spinal discs.
You can also use larger objects, such as pillow, to get more of an arch in the back and a more
intense stretch.
Hold this position for up to a couple minutes at a time (as long as you feel comfortable)
and repeat.
For a more advanced stretch, you can do a ball arch on a stability ball.
Roll the ball under you so that your back is flat on the ball.
The ball should follow the curve of your spine.
Let your back extend over and go to a position where you feel the lower back starting to relax.
Hold this position to create extension from your upper back to the lower back.
For exercises lying on the stomach, we’ll go from the least to most intense.
First is simply lying down on a flat surface with a pillow under the chest.
This will elevate the trunk slightly and put the lower back into slight extension.
To make the stretch stronger, prop yourself up on the elbows and let the hips and pelvis
lie as flat as possible.
You want to put an arch in the lower back.
The advanced stretch in this position would be fully straightening the arms out and getting
an intense stretch in the lower back.
Go to your comfort levels and hold for up to 15 to 30 seconds and repeat 3 to 5 times.
Sitting with good posture at the edge of a chair, place your hands in the small of your
back (for support) and slowly extend your back by arching the spine backwards.
Hold for 15-30 seconds, relax, and repeat 3 to 5 times.
For a more intense stretch, press into the small of the back with your hands to help
increase the arch, but only go to what is comfortable.
For standing extension, the movement is similar to the seated stretch.
Slowly, extend your lower back by arching backwards.
Hold for 15-30 seconds, relax, and repeat 3 to 5 times.
You can (again) press into the small of the back to make the stretch stronger.
These exercise is specifically used to treat disc bulges that are pinching nerves off to
one side, causing sciatica or leg pain.
Start with your feet together, standing about a foot from a wall.
The leg that isn’t hurting is the one you want closest to the wall.
Bring your elbow to the side, and then lean against the wall.
Slowly slide your pelvis next to the wall, to create a side-bend in the spine.
Hold the pelvis next to the wall for 5 seconds and then return to the start position.
Repeat this exercise up to 10 times.
If your pain is still lingering or getting worse, more sophisticated traction (to relieve
pressure in the spinal disc) is going to be needed to get relief.
Look into Spinal Decompression Therapy, which is one of the best, conservative options available
that can help treat herniated discs and pinched nerves.
I use Spinal Decompression Therapy in my office, and have gotten great results with it, and
have helped a lot of people get long-lasting relief without the use of drugs, injections,
and surgery.
So I hope these stretches helped you out and you’re already getting some relief.
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