Lower Back Pain Exercises by Physiotherapists in Vasanthapura

The best thing you can do for lower back pain — whether it is a new strain or a chronic ache — is to move. Not randomly, and not the wrong movements, but targeted, evidence-based exercises prescribed for your specific condition. This guide shares the core lower back pain exercises that Dr. Ponkhi Sharma PT uses at Curis 360 for patients in Vasanthapura, South Bangalore, and across India.

These are not generic internet exercises. These are the protocols used in clinical practice, adapted for safe home use. Read them carefully, follow the form cues, and stop any exercise that significantly increases your leg pain or neurological symptoms.

Before You Start: Important Safety Rules

• Stop any exercise that causes leg pain, tingling, or numbness to increase.
• Pain in the back during exercise is expected and often acceptable — pain in the leg is not.
• If you have bladder or bowel changes with your back pain, seek emergency care immediately.
• If your pain is severe, see a physiotherapist before starting any exercise programme.
• For a personalised programme, book an online physiotherapy consultation with Dr. Ponkhi Sharma.

Phase 1: Acute Pain Control Exercises (Day 1–7)

When back pain is new or severe, the goal is gentle movement to reduce spasm and maintain mobility — not aggressive strengthening.

• Knee-to-chest stretch: Lie on your back. Bring one knee gently to your chest and hold for 20–30 seconds. Repeat 3 times per side. Reduces lumbar joint compression and stretches the lower back muscles.
• Cat-camel mobility: On all fours, alternate between arching your back up (cat) and dropping it down (camel). Slow, gentle rhythm. 10 repetitions. Restores lumbar mobility without loading the spine.
• Pelvic tilts (lying): Lie on your back, knees bent. Gently flatten your lower back to the floor, hold 5 seconds, release. 10 repetitions. Activates deep stabilisers and reduces spasm.
• Prone lying (for disc patients): Simply lie face down for 5–10 minutes. This extension position reduces intradiscal pressure and helps centralise disc-related pain (McKenzie principle).
• Prone press-up: From prone lying, press up onto your forearms, keeping your hips on the floor. Hold 10 seconds. Progress to full-arm press-up if tolerated. The single most effective early exercise for disc herniation.

Phase 2: Core Activation and Stability (Week 2–4)

Once acute pain is controlled, begin activating the deep stabiliser muscles that protect the spine. These exercises are low-load but highly effective.

• Dead bug: Lie on your back, arms raised to ceiling, knees bent to 90 degrees. Slowly lower one arm overhead while extending the opposite leg — without letting your lower back arch. Return. Alternate sides. 8–10 reps per side. The gold-standard core exercise for back pain — controls lumbar rotation without spinal loading.
• Glute bridge: Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat. Press through your heels to lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from knees to shoulders. Hold 5 seconds. Lower slowly. 10–15 reps. Strengthens glutes and reduces lumbar extensor overload.
• Bird dog: On all fours, extend one arm forward and the opposite leg back simultaneously. Hold 5 seconds. Alternate sides. 8–10 reps per side. Builds multifidus (deep spinal stabiliser) strength and controls lumbar rotation.
• Side plank (modified): Lie on your side, support yourself on your forearm and bent knee. Lift your hips off the floor. Hold 15–20 seconds. 3 sets per side. Strengthens the lateral stabilisers, including quadratus lumborum.
• Clamshell: Lie on your side, knees bent and stacked. Keep feet together and rotate your top knee upward like a clamshell opening. 15 reps per side. Strengthens hip abductors, which directly reduce load on the lumbar spine.

Phase 3: Functional Strengthening and Return to Activity (Week 4–12)

• Romanian deadlift (bodyweight): Stand with feet hip-width apart. Hinge at the hips — push them back while keeping the back straight — until you feel a stretch in the hamstrings. Return to standing. 10–12 reps. Teaches the hip hinge movement pattern essential for safe daily bending and lifting.
• Wall squat: Stand with your back against a wall. Slide down until your thighs are parallel to the floor (or as low as comfortable). Hold 20–30 seconds. 3 sets. Strengthens quadriceps and glutes without lumbar compression.
• Standing hip extension: Stand holding a surface. Extend one leg backward with a straight knee, squeezing the glute. Hold 3 seconds. 15 reps per side. Builds glute strength in a functional standing position.
• Sciatic nerve floss (for nerve pain): Sit upright. Extend one knee while tilting your head back, then bend the knee while dropping your chin to your chest. Gentle oscillating motion, 10–15 times. Mobilises the sciatic nerve through its full length. Read more in our sciatica treatment guide.

Ergonomic Tips to Support Your Exercise Programme

• Never sit for more than 30–45 minutes without a short standing or walking break.
• Use a lumbar roll (a small rolled towel works) when sitting to maintain the natural curve of your lower back.
• When lifting anything from the floor, use a hip hinge — not a spinal bend.
• Set your monitor at eye level to reduce forward head posture and its downstream effect on the lumbar spine.
• If you work from home with back pain, read our full guide: Work From Home Back Pain? Try Online Physiotherapy in India.

Get a Personalised Programme for Your Back Pain

These exercises are a starting point, not a complete treatment plan. For lasting results, you need a programme tailored to your specific diagnosis. Book an online physiotherapy consultation with Dr. Ponkhi Sharma PT, or visit us in-person at our Vasanthapura-area clinic. Also see the full back pain treatment guide for Banashankari for the complete clinical picture.