As a chiropractor in private practise since 1998, I’ve worked with many patients suffering from lower back pain. Recently, I began working with a patient who was post surgery for lower back disk herniations. It had been a few months since her surgery, and she still was undergoing lower back pain. Her fear was that she’d always have this lower back pain and that the surgery was a failure. Following a detailed examination, I began chiropractic adjustments on her lower back, and used mechanical traction. A stretching routine of knee to chest stretches were performed on her, and I advised her to continue doing the same at home.

By her next visit, she was feeling a measurable reduction in pain. We continued with her adjustments, traction, and stretching over the next month and she has continued to improve weekly.

Although her chiropractic adjustments and mechanical traction on her lower back helped, I believe, in her case, the stretching of her glutes, hamstrings, and lower back spinal erector muscles is what allowed the adjustments to hold, and help her continue the process of healing she needed from the spinal surgery.

I really love knee to chest stretching.

Of course consult with your chiropractor or MD prior to beginning any stretching program when you’re in pain. However, once you have, try knee to chest stretching. Lay on your back, and bending your leg, grab one knee with both hands. Keeping your other leg resting extended, hold the bent leg and slowly bring it toward your chest. Make sure to only bring it to the beginning of the stretching feeling at first to avoid overdoing it. Slowly release the leg keeping your hand on your knee.  When you finish feeling the stretch, perform another 5-10 repetitions slowly breathing as you bring your knee to your chest.

This can help tremendously with minor lower back pain. This is just one of numerous stretches that can be helpful for lower back pain. For more serious lower back pain, anything over a 4 level on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the most pain, I highly recommend you consider chiropractic treatment. Chiropractic brings your body back in to alignment, and with proper nutrition and hydration, keeps it performing at its best.

If you have any questions on how to heal from back pain, feel free to contact me at:

Stekel Chiropractic

(212) 581-3331