Your back has been hurting for weeks. You’ve Googled ‘lower back stretches’ at least a dozen times, tried a few things from YouTube, and felt temporary relief before the pain came back. The frustrating truth is that not all exercises are helpful for all types of back pain. Done incorrectly, some stretches can actually make things worse.
At Cache Chiro in Logan, Utah, Dr. James Misustin prescribes specific exercise protocols based on each patient’s diagnosis, not generic internet content. But there are five foundational movements that provide genuine relief and are safe for the vast majority of common lower back pain presentations. These are exercises we recommend regularly to patients across Cache Valley.
Important disclaimer: these exercises are appropriate for non-specific lower back pain without active nerve compression, acute disc herniation, or fracture. If your back pain includes numbness, tingling, or shooting pain into your legs, please schedule an assessment at Cache Chiro before beginning any exercise program.
Why Exercise Is Part of Every Cache Chiro Treatment Plan
Chiropractic adjustments correct the structural problem in your spine. But without rebuilding the muscular support system that holds those corrections in place, the spine tends to drift back into its old dysfunctional patterns. Exercise is not optional in our approach; it is the part that makes your results last.
The exercises below target the three systems most commonly implicated in lower back pain: the deep core stabilizers, the glutes and hip extensors, and the hip flexors. Weakness or tightness in any of these systems sends the load to your lumbar spine, where it causes the pain you’re living with.
Exercise 1 – Dead Bug
What It Does
The dead bug activates the transverse abdominis and multifidus, the deepest core stabilizers that are directly responsible for protecting your lumbar spine. These muscles are almost universally underactive in people with chronic lower back pain.
How to Do It
- Lie on your back with your arms extended straight toward the ceiling
- Bring your hips and knees to 90 degrees (tabletop position)
- Press your lower back firmly into the floor
- Slowly lower your right arm toward the floor overhead while simultaneously extending your left leg
- Stop just before your lower back begins to arch away from the floor
- Return to the starting position and repeat on the opposite side
- Do 3 sets of 8 repetitions per side
Cache Chiro Tip
Breathe out as you lower the arm and leg. The hardest part of this exercise is keeping your lower back flat throughout. If you feel your back arching, reduce your range of motion. Quality over range.
Exercise 2 – Glute Bridge
What It Does
The glute bridge activates your glutes, which are the primary muscular support system for your lumbar spine. Inactive glutes from prolonged sitting are one of the most consistent findings in patients with lower back pain. Strengthening them takes load off the lumbar vertebrae and allows your back to heal.
How to Do It
- Lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat on the floor hip-width apart
- Press through your heels and squeeze your glutes to lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from knees to shoulders
- Hold for two seconds at the top
- Lower slowly over three counts
- Do 3 sets of 12 repetitions
Cache Chiro Tip
Do not use your lower back to drive the movement. The power should come entirely from squeezing your glutes. If you feel this primarily in your hamstrings or lower back, move your feet slightly closer to your body.
Exercise 3 – Cat-Cow Stretch
What It Does
Cat-cow is the most basic and most effective mobility exercise for the lumbar spine. It restores movement to the vertebral joints, reduces stiffness after periods of inactivity, improves circulation to the spinal discs, and activates the core musculature through its full range of motion.
How to Do It
- Start on hands and knees, wrists under shoulders, knees under hips
- Cow position: inhale and let your belly drop toward the floor, lifting your head and tailbone toward the ceiling
- Cat position: exhale and round your spine toward the ceiling, tucking your chin and tailbone under
- Move slowly and fluidly between positions, one breath per movement
- Do 10 repetitions at the start of every morning
Cache Chiro Tip
This is the exercise we most commonly recommend for Cache Valley patients who experience that horrible morning stiffness. Do it before you even get out of bed if you can. Five minutes of cat-cow can dramatically improve how the first hour of your day feels.
Exercise 4 – Hip Flexor Kneeling Stretch
What It Does
Tight hip flexors are the hidden enemy of lower back health. When you sit for hours, your hip flexors shorten. When you stand, these shortened muscles pull the front of your pelvis downward, which increases your lumbar curve and compresses the posterior spinal joints. Lengthening them is essential for relieving this postural load.
How to Do It
- Start in a half-kneeling position with your right knee on the floor and left foot forward
- Shift your hips forward until you feel a stretch in the front of your right hip and thigh
- Keep your torso upright and your core lightly engaged
- Hold for 30 to 60 seconds
- Switch sides and repeat
- Do 2 to 3 repetitions per side daily
Cache Chiro Tip
Use a folded yoga mat or towel under your knee for comfort. To intensify the stretch, tuck your back hip under slightly as if you’re tilting your pelvis backward. You should feel this specifically at the front crease of your back hip. If you feel it mainly in your front thigh, adjust your position.
Exercise 5 – Bird Dog
What It Does
The bird dog is a spine-neutral stability exercise that trains your lumbar extensors, glutes, and shoulders to work together without loading the spine. It builds the anti-rotation and anti-extension strength that protects your lower back during real-world movements like picking something up, reaching overhead, or carrying a grocery bag.
How to Do It
- Start on hands and knees with a neutral spine (back flat, not arched or rounded)
- Simultaneously extend your right arm forward and your left leg back
- Hold for two seconds while keeping your hips level and your back flat
- Return to the starting position and repeat on the opposite side
- Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions per side
Cache Chiro Tip
The most common mistake is letting the hip on the extended leg side drop toward the floor. Imagine balancing a glass of water on your lower back. Your back should not move at all during the exercise. If stability is difficult, start by extending just the leg (keeping both hands on the floor) before adding the arm.
How Often Should You Do These Exercises?
For most patients dealing with lower back pain, we recommend:
- Cat-cow: every morning, 10 repetitions
- Hip flexor stretch: daily, especially on days with prolonged sitting
- Glute bridge: 3 times per week, 3 sets of 12
- Dead bug: 3 times per week, 3 sets of 8 per side
- Bird dog: 3 times per week, 3 sets of 10 per side
Consistency matters more than intensity. Ten minutes of targeted, correct exercise daily produces better outcomes than an hour-long workout twice a week. These exercises should not cause pain. Mild muscle fatigue is normal. Sharp pain, increased back pain, or pain radiating into a leg means stop and call Cache Chiro.
Why These Exercises Work Better After a Chiropractic Adjustment
Here is something important: exercises work significantly better when the underlying spinal alignment problem has been addressed first through spinal manipulation. Trying to strengthen muscles around a misaligned spine is like trying to build a straight wall on a crooked foundation. The muscles compensate around the dysfunction rather than supporting proper alignment.
This is why at Cache Chiro we sequence your care plan with adjustments first to restore proper mechanics, followed by a progressive exercise program to lock in those improvements and build lasting support. Many patients who have tried exercise programs for back pain without results find they get very different outcomes after beginning chiropractic care as part of a full corrective treatment plan.
Signs It’s Time to See Dr. Misustin Beyond Home Exercises
- Pain that has lasted more than two weeks without improvement
- Pain that radiates into your buttock or down one leg
- Numbness, tingling, or weakness in either leg
- Pain that wakes you from sleep
- Pain that is getting progressively worse despite rest and exercise
Frequently Asked Questions
Can these exercises replace seeing a chiropractor?
For mild, non-specific lower back pain in otherwise healthy people, these exercises may provide sufficient relief. For moderate to severe pain, recurring episodes, or pain with neurological symptoms, chiropractic assessment and treatment is important. These exercises are designed to complement chiropractic care, not replace it.
How long before I see results from back exercises?
Most people notice improved flexibility and reduced stiffness within one to two weeks of consistent practice. Meaningful strength improvements that translate to reduced pain typically take four to six weeks. Patience and consistency are the keys.
Can I do these exercises if I have a herniated disc?
Some of these exercises are appropriate for herniated disc patients, but others are not. Please do not begin any exercise program for disc-related pain without consulting Dr. Misustin first. He will prescribe specific movements appropriate for your exact disc presentation.
Start Moving Your Way to a Better Back in Cache Valley
Your lower back wants to heal. It just needs the right structural foundation (which chiropractic provides) and the right movement fuel (which these exercises provide, guided by our lifestyle and nutritional advice). Together, they are the most effective evidence-based approach to lasting back pain relief available without surgery or medication.
Call Cache Chiro at (435) 753-2840 or book your appointment online for a personalized exercise prescription and spinal assessment. Logan, Cache Valley, and northern Utah patients are welcome.
Cache Chiro — 1415 N 400 E Ste A, Logan, UT 84341. Trusted by 10,000+ patients across Cache Valley.