Superman Exercise (extension) for Lower Back Pain.
There are a lot of causes as well as solutions for lower back pain. This exercise is a great way to help aid in the treatment for low back pain as well as the prevention. The exercise is called the Superman exercise.
Essentially you start by laying down on your belly and begin to lift your legs and torso up anywhere between three and six inches from the ground. In order to do this you will need to engage/brace the core.
If you are weak in the core or are experiencing lower back pain you have a few options. First, you can modify by just lifting one leg at a time, both legs at a time, or keep the legs down and just elevating the torso.
If are are strong enough then you can elevate both the torso and the legs and pulse them into the air for reps. By doing this you are going to strengthen the core, the spine itself, as well as the gluts which all help to protect the lower back.
Be CAREFUL not to OVEREXTEND as this can cause too much movement or pressure into the joints within the spine. Remember, all exercises are geared to strengthen you and help you NOT increase the pain.
This exercise is great because not only does it help strengthen the body but it helps undo a lot of the poor/bad posture that we have. We live in a FLEXION dominant world where everything we do is in a flexed state. The way we type on a computer, pick up objects, sleep, etc. This exercise does the very opposite and helps to strengthen the muscles that we often ignore and neglect.