Nearly everyone experiences some degree of back pain at some point during his or her lives – whether it’s acute or chronic pain. Sometimes back pain can be managed with conservative remedies, other times back pain may require surgical intervention to effectively relieve pain. However, most back pain should be attacked with conservative treatments initially, with more aggressive treatments (like surgery) being approached when conservative treatments fail.

Here are a few exercises you can do in your own home to relieve your back pain.

Neck & Shoulder Stretches

Neck and shoulder pain is closely related to back pain. Pain in the neck often radiates down to the back and vice versa. There are two very simple neck stretches that you can do anywhere to relieve pain:

1. Moving your head forward and touching your chin to your chest
2. Moving your head from side-to-side (slowly) and touching your ears to your shoulders

Hip Stretches

Certain spine conditions can cause pain that radiates down through the buttocks and legs. Stretching out these areas may help manage pain. Lie on your back and cross one leg over the other. Then slowly bring your knee to your chest.

Back Stretches

There are two stretches that have been shown to be useful in relieving back pain. Both require lying on your back. In the first exercise, grab the back of your knee and slowly bring your knee to your chest. Another (similar) exercise involves grabbing both knees and bringing them to your chest.

These stretches are conservative treatment options for back pain. If these exercises (and other conservative treatments) do not work and your back pain persists, it may be time to look into other treatment options like minimally invasive surgery. Sometimes conservative treatments only work to relieve pain in the short term, while minimally invasive surgery takes care of pain in the long run.

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