In this blog post, you’re going to learn five foam roller exercises for lower back pain. If you’re working from home, and find yourself spending countless hours sitting on your fanny, then there’s a good chance that you’ll experience some low back discomfort.
Consider investing in a trigger point or vibrating foam roller instead of trekking through traffic to your local massage therapist and giving up your hard-earned Benjamins, unless they’re Morgan Massage, of course.
Using a foam roller is a cost-effective way to do a self-myofascial release massage and smooth out those boulder-sized knots in your back while increasing your muscles’ overall blood flow and circulation.
Foam Roller Exercises For Lower Back Pain
Foam Roller Exercise #1: Mid Backroll
Begin by lying on the foam roller, place it between your shoulder blades, lift your hips and let your feet guide you as you roll up and down your spine from your mid-back towards your head.
You can interlock your fingers behind your head as you do it.
Do 10 to 15 slow and steady passes.
Foam Roller Exercise #2: Upper Back Release
Similar to the mid-backroll, lift your hips and let your feet guide you.
Lift your arms over your head, attempting to touch the floor behind you as if you’re raising your arms in excitement.
Do 10 to 15 slow and steady passes.
Foam Roller Exercise #3: Glute Roll
Place the foam roller underneath your glutes, bring your right leg up, and rest your ankle on your left knee.
Roll onto the side of your right hip. Do 10 to 15 slow and steady passes. And then repeat it on the other side.
If you find a tender spot, hang out for a bit. Remember to relax your body into the foam roller until you feel the tightness relax.
If you ever feel any numbness down your leg, you could be irritating the sciatic nerve, so it’s best to let up on the pressure.
Foam Roller Exercise #4: Hamstrings
Desk jockeys who sit all day long are guaranteed to have tight hamstrings. Place the foam roller underneath your upper hamstring muscles below your glutes and place your hands behind you for support.
Roll the foam roller from your glutes down to right above your left knee.
Do 10 to 15 slow and steady passes, and then repeat on the other side.
Foam Roller Exercise #5: Hip Flexors & Quads
The final foam roller exercise targets the hip flexors and quadriceps.
Start in a plank position with a foam roller underneath both thighs or one thigh, and do 10 to 15 slow and steady passes up and down the quadriceps as you feel the muscle knots melt away underneath you.
So there you have it, 5 foam roller exercises for lower back pain. If you like this post, you might also be interested in learning about work from home back pain exercises.