Dealing with Low Back Pain

This is a basic reply but new pillow/bed + improved ergonomics (monitor height, chair height, etc... just look at an online guide) brought me 85% relief in two weeks after I went through a month+ of problems like yours.

Maybe swimming would help. Also, hanging could help - do some knee raises while hanging on the pull-up bar or that device where you put your elbows on it to hang. 

Competly understand how brtual it can bem I've been having lower back pain over the past 6 months to the point where I wasn't able to move.I've seen a bunch of specialists and tried physical therapy, but surprisingly acupuncture and massage therapy were the only treatments that worked. They have worked wonders for me. I'm able to move around now and should he back to my old self in a few weeks.

Add in some type of fitness into your schedule. As others have mentioned, deadlifts, squats, and other types of compound workouts are great because you just need to know a few and can strengthen your entire core. Take your health seriously! 

Try to add some yoga and/or PiYo into your schedule (even if just 5-10mins). It does absolute wonders for flexibility and overall back health. Cheers.

Am 57. have had lower back issues / pain (herniated L5) since my 30s. Stretching (hamstrings, glutes) is key. I do a 20 minute routine. Used to have to do it to function. Now I just do it to feel better. Also, strengthen your core. Pelvic tilt situps (so you don't put extra pressure on your lower back). Medicine ball extended arm lifts. All kinds of ab exercises. 

Lots of great advice in comments above. I dealt with my back pain (bulging l4 l5 disc) with stretching and indoor rock climbing for low impact core strengthening. Oh yeah and annual epidural steroid injections.

You need to do pilates, preferably finding a place that has a licensed physical therapist as an instructor.  I previously ruptured my L4 & L5 and was laid up for over 6 months.  Sitting was the most painful position for me and I could only do it for a few minutes at a time w/out bracing against the arms of the chair to put the weight on my arms.  I tried every conceivable remedy short of surgery before finding pilates, and it was a game changer.  It really gets you in the habit of engaging your core constantly, aligning the lower & upper half of your body, and taking pressure off of your back.  The view in a pilates class is also not bad.

2 things that have worked wonderfully for me:

1. Doing dead lifts at the gym twice a week, as well as an overall active lifestyle 

2. Not having a job that prohibits the above

Got to make time for it somehow

Gotta get in motion to strengthen your midsection + get some blood flow to the region

Bodyweight KB swings or RDLs + ab exercises

Something for obliques (/rotational load)

Hanging is good if you have the means to do so. Swing your pelvis so you are going in and out of flexion

Lunges

The key is doing something everyday to get the bloodflow going. If you go to the gym for 1-2 hrs after work, it doesn't help you during the time you are actually at work. I am also a big fan of hot yoga but ymmv. Something as simple as burpees for 5-10 minutes (as a warm-up), followed by a yoga routine with challenging stretches/poses will benefit basically all your joints.

And when you're sitting in a chair, don't go crazy on the lordosis (instagram ass pose). Try to sit up reasonably straight

we have a stone-age body and brain whilst our conditions have radically changed 

humans bodies are built to hunt and climb trees  not to build models on excel 

we are more imprisoned than monkey in cages 

on that note do some exercise and hunt some ducks and get some fucks out of your system 

yu will better than ever

https://www.npr.org/2013/09/30/227777434/how-our-stone-age-bodies-struggle-to-stay-healthy-in-modern-times

More sex

Highly suggest an inversion table if you have the room for it in your apartment. Seems whacky when you first look it up but it completely decompresses your spine. Mix this in with stretching your hamstrings and hips and you should feel some relief. I had chronic back pain and 6 months of the inversion table and 3X a week Yin yoga changed my life. Going on year 4 of no pain.

I’ve had back pain for the past 12 years but have basically defeated it in the past 6 months I’d say. 
 

backward leg extensions: lean forward facing a wall with your hands on it and keep one foot planted while bringing the other leg back and raising it. Do 3 sets of 20 each. It will help activate your glutes. This worked like a charm and typically would relieve 75% of any back pain I had immediately, even if it was only momentarily. 
 

do a hip flexor stretch. Prop up one foot behind you on a couch or chair and then lunge forward with the other. This helps relieve back pain as well.

and then lots of back exercises in the gym. Do not skip these. 

Work on proper form when deadlifting or stop. 

So aside from all the exercises to strengthen your back muscles, I'm surprised no one mentioned adding lumbar support to your chair. Since you can't really avoid sitting for hours at a stretch at work, you should make it the most comfortable and healthy place you can. I've done 5 cross country road trips and I tell you, a VW Jetta does not have good lumbar support and your lower back just ends up killing you. I got one of those seat support things (like this: https://goodforyourback.com/product/electric-massage-lumbar-cushion/) and it works wonders. I'd look into something like that for your work chair. 

Tbh I think you can reach out to HR and request accommodation (i.e. a standing desk).

Ergonomic chair and strengthening it (deadlifts). I for one would recommend doing yoga exercises for your back (30 mins a day).

Following rip

I saw this and called bullshit… it actually worked for me but ymmv.

https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPd69XugM/

stretch and lift

For me, proper pillow for your sleeping style (back vs side is different), focusing on properly doing deadlifts and yoga

Not sure if you're in NYC, but there are a lot of stretching studios where you lie down and someone literally stretches you for an hour, and then they can give you tips. Will mitigate your pain and improve your mobility.

If you're going to do lifts to improve / strengthen your back, I'd suggest investing in a personal trainer to make sure you're doing it right. You don't want to make the problem worse and easily can with bad form

For sure as others have mentioned back and leg exercises can be helpful to strengthen it. Curious though, how is your mattress? If it's too soft or old it might not be providing enough support for your back at night. I recently got a new mattress that is firm, and let me tell you my lower back is so much better. A lot of the pain has gone away even on days when i don't do back exercises. I realize its not super easy to replace a mattress and not cheap either, so maybe try and finding something firmer that you can sleep on for a few nights and see if that helps your back. I haven't personally used a mattress topper, but I'm sure there are ones you could find that could help firm up the mattress?

If you sleep on your side put a pillow in between your legs. That’s what I do, I’ve been told it takes pressure off your back. I feel it helps.

foam roller on the glutes and hamstrings helps a lot. take it from someone who has had 2 back surgeries.

95% of the time, back pain is due to tight hips & glutes from sitting all day. Incorporating some hip mobility work a couple times a day should work wonders. Some of my favorites for loosing up the hips (and thus the back) are:

• hip flexor stretch

• 90-90 stretch

• pretzel stretch

• pigeon stretch

• frog posture (personal favorite, iykyk)

• seal stretch

If you don’t know how to do any of these, they should all be pretty easy to look up. Hope this helps someone!