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Back Muscle Pain Exercises For Seniors And The Elderly

Back muscle pain exercises for seniors and the elderly like eccentric straight leg raises will stabilize and strengthen your low back and reduce the pain associated with lumbar instability.

Try these exercises 3 - 5 times a week for increased back health.  When you can do 10 without a lot of effort, you may increase up to 20 times on each leg.

Try alternating 10 on each side, then repeat for another 10 if you can't do 20 in a row.

The important thing to remember when performing any leg exercises lying down is to make sure you press your back into the ground and hold your pelvis as still as possible during the movement.

In this way the exercise is more of a pelvic stabilization exercise than a leg exercise. Keep your breathing relaxed and rhythmic, breathing all the way down to your belly. Give it a try!

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Eccentric Straight Leg Raise

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Purpose of this exercise:

This exercise works your abdominal and hip flexor muscles which will improve your ability to get out of bed, get out of a chair and maintain your posture. 

How to do it:

Step 1

• Lie on your back and tighten up your abdominal muscles. 

Step 2

• Bring your right knee up toward your chest.
• Keep your left leg on the floor.
• Straighten your right leg and slowly lower to the floor.
• Repeat 10 times with both legs.

Breathing:

• Exhale during the upward movement phase.
• Inhale during the downward movement phase.

Tips:

• Keep breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth.
• Keep your pelvis as motionless as possible.
• Make sure your spine is in a neutral position.

Take it up a notch:

• Hold your leg at the top for 10 seconds
• Add a 1 or 2 pound ankle weight.

Try these other back exercises

Watch These Exercise Videos

1. Eccentric Straight Leg Raise

• This exercise works your abdominal and hip flexor muscles which will improve your ability to get out of bed, get out of a chair and maintain your posture and help back muscle pain.

2. Bent Knee Raise

• This back pain help exercise works your abdominal and hip flexor muscles which will improve your ability to get out of bed, rise up from a chair and maintain your standing posture.

3. Curl Ups

• Abdomial back pain symptoms exercises help with posture and balance by strengthening your core muscles. Simple things like getting out of bed or up from a chair can become easier when your
•  abdominals are strong. 

4. Cat and Camel

• To stretch and extend the lower back and mid back muscles. Exercises for back pain and losening up the pelvic area and learning the pelvic tilt.

5 Back Extension

• To stretch and extend the lower back and mid back muscles. It can also help with mid back pain associated with postural strain. This will make it  easier to maintain good posture with sitting and
•  standing.

6. Leg Extensions

• To stretch and extend the lower back and hip pain muscles. It can also help with strengthening the pelvis and leg muscles reducing symptoms.

7. Bridging

• These lower back pain exercises help strengthen the hip extensors, buttock muscles and hamstrings. It also helps strengthen the low back and sacroiliac. This can improve your ability to stand and maintain your balance.

8. Pelvic Tilt

• To stretch the lower back and hip muscles. This is a great treatment for back pain exercise for tired or sore backs after a long day of walking!

9. Sit Backs

• This back strengthening exercise will firm your abdominal muscles.
• It will help your ability to get out of bed or up from a chair. 

10. Arm Raises On Back

• This back muscle exercise improves the range of motion in your upper back and shoulders.
• When correctly stabilizing the lower back, this exercise will  help strengthen your postural muscles including the abdominals.

11. Arm Raises On Knees

• This back pain and exercise movement will improve your upper back and shoulder stability.
• It is also  helpful in reaching to a high shelf, opening the refrigerator door or even combing your hair.

12. Hip Flexion

• This lower back exercise will improve your lower back range of motion and flexibility.
• It will help with activities such as doing the laundry, sweeping up with a dust pan or reaching to a low cupboard.

Do you like these exercises? Did you know you can download the exercises along with a 4 week exercise program?.