If your lower back hurts, you’ve probably wondered whether moving more or moving less is the right call. For many people with common, nonspecific low back pain, appropriate exercise can genuinely be part of feeling better, while resting completely for long periods generally isn’t the goal.
What are the best exercises for lower back pain? There isn’t one exercise that’s best for everyone. Depending on the cause and symptoms, gentle aerobic activity, mobility exercises, strengthening exercises, and structured exercise programs may help some people manage lower back pain and improve function. This is consistent with NICE guidance on low back pain and sciatica, which frames exercise as something to tailor to the person rather than a one-size-fits-all prescription, and with the American College of Physicians’ (ACP) clinical practice guideline, which lists exercise among several reasonable first-line, nonpharmacologic options.
This guide walks through commonly used exercise categories, how to start safely, what movements may need modifying, and, importantly, when your symptoms call for professional assessment rather than a home exercise routine.
Before you exercise: is it safe for you?
This is worth addressing before anything else, since not every case of back pain is the common, nonspecific kind this article focuses on. If you’re trying to work out what’s actually causing your back pain in the first place, that’s a useful place to start before choosing an exercise approach.
Seek urgent medical attention for:
- New loss of bladder or bowel control
- Numbness around the groin or saddle area
- Significant or progressive weakness in the legs
- Severe symptoms following major trauma
- Severe back pain accompanied by concerning systemic symptoms, like fever
Arrange medical assessment for:
- Persistent or worsening pain
- Significant pain traveling down a leg
- Numbness or weakness
- Recurrent episodes that affect your normal activities
- Pain following an injury
- Unexplained symptoms that aren’t improving
These symptoms can point toward conditions that need proper diagnosis, rather than a general exercise routine. This article can’t tell you which condition you might have; it can only flag when it’s time to have that conversation with a healthcare professional instead of self-treating.
What type of lower back pain is this article about?
Being clear about scope matters here, since not every exercise approach fits every kind of back pain.
This article primarily addresses common, nonspecific (also called mechanical) low back pain, rather than attempting to cover exercise programs for every possible spinal condition.
Nonspecific low back pain
This is pain where no specific serious underlying cause is identified. It’s the most common type of back pain and the main focus of this guide. NICE’s guidance specifically distinguishes this category from sciatica and other specific spinal pathologies when recommending management approaches.
Sciatica
This refers to back pain associated with irritation or involvement of a spinal nerve, often causing symptoms that travel into the leg. Sciatica can respond differently to certain exercises than nonspecific back pain does.
Specific causes
Some back pain traces to a specific medical cause, like a fracture, infection, an inflammatory condition, or another underlying problem. These require their own tailored evaluation and treatment, not a generic exercise list.
The exercises in this article aren’t automatically appropriate for every type of back pain; they’re general options for people with common, nonspecific symptoms.
Why movement and exercise may help
Understanding the rationale helps make sense of why “just rest” usually isn’t the recommended approach anymore. This lines up with the broader benefits of exercise for physical function generally, not just for back pain specifically.
Movement and exercise may support:
- Maintaining physical function
- Improving strength
- Supporting mobility
- Maintaining general fitness
- Building confidence with movement
- Helping you return to normal activities
The World Health Organization’s guideline on chronic primary low back pain includes exercise among the non-surgical approaches it recommends as part of person-centered care. The American College of Physicians similarly recommends exercise among the initial nonpharmacologic options for low back pain, alongside several other approaches, rather than identifying one universally superior treatment. It’s worth being clear about what exercise doesn’t do: it doesn’t “realign” your spine or “put discs back into place.” Those framings aren’t accurate descriptions of how exercise actually helps.
Best exercises for lower back pain
Rather than treating these as universally “best,” think of them as commonly used movement categories that may be appropriate depending on your specific situation. If you’re new to structured exercise altogether, our roundup of best exercises for beginners covers similar starting-point thinking that applies here too.
Exercise 1: Walking
Walking provides low-impact aerobic activity without requiring specialized equipment, which makes it a practical, accessible starting point for many people.
How to start:
- Begin with a comfortable duration
- Walk at an easy pace
- Increase duration gradually if it’s well tolerated
Exercise 2: Pelvic tilts
This gentle movement helps build controlled trunk motion.
Basic approach:
- Lie on your back with knees bent
- Gently engage your abdominal muscles
- Slowly tilt the pelvis to flatten or gently move the lower back
- Return to the starting position
- Repeat comfortably
Focus on controlled, small movements rather than forcing your range of motion.
Exercise 3: Bird dog
This works as a core and trunk-control movement.
Basic approach:
- Start on hands and knees
- Brace gently through your trunk
- Extend one arm and the opposite leg as comfortable
- Pause briefly
- Return slowly
- Alternate sides
If coordinating both limbs at once is difficult, an easier version involves moving just one limb at a time.
Exercise 4: Glute bridge
Strengthening the hips and posterior chain can complement a broader exercise program, though it doesn’t directly “fix” the lower back on its own. If this kind of movement is new to you, our guide to strength training for beginners covers how to progress resistance exercises safely.
Basic approach:
- Lie on your back with knees bent
- Keep your feet comfortably placed on the floor
- Gently brace your trunk
- Lift your hips in a controlled manner
- Pause
- Lower slowly
Exercise 5: Modified dead bug
This is a controlled trunk exercise that’s easy to scale to your current ability.
Beginner version:
- Lie on your back
- Keep your knees bent
- Slowly move one limb at a time
- Maintain comfortable trunk control throughout
A simpler alternative is available if coordination feels difficult at first.
Exercise 6: Gentle cat-cow movement
Use this primarily as a mobility exercise, not a strengthening one.
Move slowly between comfortable positions, without forcing spinal flexion or extension. Stop if it significantly increases your symptoms.
Exercise 7: Gentle hip and hamstring mobility
Stretching isn’t a guaranteed treatment, but gentle mobility work may be useful for some people.
Possible examples:
- Gentle hamstring stretch
- Hip flexor stretch
- Comfortable hip mobility work
Stretching should stay gentle and should never cause sharp or worsening pain.
How to start a lower back exercise routine
A practical framework helps take the guesswork out of getting started.
A beginner approach
Start with:
- 5 to 10 minutes of comfortable walking
- 1 to 2 gentle mobility exercises
- 1 to 2 strengthening exercises
Then gradually increase duration, repetitions, or difficulty as tolerated. There’s no single rigid number of sets and repetitions that’s correct for everyone; your starting point depends on your current symptoms and fitness level.
Progress one variable at a time
- Duration
- Repetitions
- Resistance
- Exercise complexity
Changing just one variable at a time reduces the temptation to dramatically increase your workload all at once, which is one of the more common ways people set back their own progress. Giving your body adequate recovery time between workouts matters just as much as the exercise itself, and getting enough sleep to support muscle recovery can influence how well you tolerate a progressing routine.
Should you exercise when your back hurts?
This is one of the most common questions, and the answer depends on what kind of discomfort you’re actually experiencing.
Mild discomfort
Some movements may feel unfamiliar or mildly uncomfortable, especially early on, in a way that can resemble ordinary muscle soreness after exercise (DOMS). This is often a reasonable thing to work through gradually.
Increasing or severe pain
A significant increase in pain during or after an exercise may mean it needs to be modified, reduced in intensity, or stopped for now.
New neurological symptoms
Pain accompanied by new weakness, numbness, or other concerning symptoms warrants professional assessment, not more exercise.
The old “no pain, no gain” mindset doesn’t apply well to back pain. Pushing through significant or worsening symptoms isn’t an appropriate universal recommendation here. Both NICE and the ACP frame exercise as something to adapt to the individual’s tolerance, not a fixed program to push through regardless of symptoms.
Exercises to avoid or modify with lower back pain
Rather than a list of exercises that are universally dangerous, think of this as movements that may need modifying or temporarily avoiding, depending on your symptoms and experience level.
Potential examples
- Heavy lifting with poor technique, especially for someone inexperienced or currently symptomatic
- High-impact exercise during a painful flare, like running or jumping, if it significantly aggravates symptoms — if running is a goal you’re working back toward, building running stamina gradually is a more sustainable approach than jumping back in at full intensity
- Heavy loaded spinal flexion, such as demanding weighted bending exercises that provoke symptoms
- Max-effort lifting, which isn’t an appropriate starting point when back pain is significant
- Aggressive stretching that forces the spine or hips into painful ranges
- Any exercise that consistently worsens your symptoms, regardless of what it is
The specific movement matters less than your own response to it. There’s no universal “never do these exercises” list that applies to everyone; exercise selection should be individualized to you.
What about sit-ups and crunches?
Abdominal exercises aren’t automatically bad for everyone with back pain. The real question is whether a given movement is appropriate for you specifically and can be performed with tolerable symptoms.
Sit-ups don’t “damage your discs” as a blanket rule. That said, alternatives like bird dogs, dead bugs, and bridges may be easier, more comfortable starting points for some people, particularly earlier in a recovery process.
What about squats and deadlifts?
Squats and deadlifts aren’t inherently forbidden for people with a history of back pain. Technique, load, experience level, current symptoms, and how you progress all matter more than the exercises themselves.
Someone with significant current pain shouldn’t jump directly into heavy lifting, but that’s a matter of appropriate progression, not a permanent restriction. A qualified professional, like a physical therapist, can help modify resistance exercises when needed rather than eliminating them from your routine altogether.
Core strength and lower back pain
“Core” gets used loosely, so it’s worth being specific about what it actually means in a practical sense.
Your core includes your abdominal muscles, back muscles, hip muscles, and the muscles involved in pelvic and trunk control together. The goal isn’t necessarily to build an extremely strong or rigid core; a better way to think about it is that good trunk strength and control can be one component of an overall exercise program, not the sole solution on its own.
Does stretching help lower back pain?
Gentle mobility work may genuinely be useful for some people, though it isn’t automatically better than strengthening or aerobic exercise, and flexibility isn’t necessarily the sole cause of anyone’s back pain.
Our guide to stretching before or after exercise covers timing considerations that apply here too. During a painful episode specifically, aggressive stretching isn’t the right approach; gentle, controlled mobility work is a more reasonable place to start.
Is walking good for lower back pain?
Walking deserves its own mention given how often people ask about it specifically.
Walking is accessible to most people and can help you remain active without requiring specialized equipment or a gym membership. Start at a comfortable duration, and increase it gradually as tolerated. Terrain and pace both matter; flat, familiar terrain at a comfortable pace is a reasonable starting point before progressing to hills or a brisker pace. Walking doesn’t “cure” back pain on its own, but it’s a genuinely useful, low-barrier way to stay active while managing symptoms. Our full guide to walking for health covers this topic in more depth, and if weight management is also part of your goals, walking for weight loss walks through how to structure that kind of routine.
How often should you exercise with lower back pain?
Frequency depends on your current symptoms, the type of exercise, your fitness level, your recovery between sessions, and your training history.
Consistency tends to matter more than occasional intense sessions. A structured exercise program works best when it’s adapted to your own capabilities and preferences, which is consistent with current NICE clinical guidance on self-management and exercise for low back pain.
Lower back pain exercise routine: example
This is illustrative only, not a personalized treatment plan. For someone with significant symptoms, the appropriate starting point may look quite different.
A beginner example
Warm-up:
- 5 minutes of easy walking
Mobility:
- Gentle pelvic tilts
- Cat-cow movement
Strength:
- Glute bridges
- Bird dogs
Finish:
- 5 to 10 minutes of easy walking
How to progress your routine
Progress can look like several different things, and it doesn’t have to follow a rigid formula. Consider gradually increasing your walking time, adding repetitions, working toward more controlled range of motion, trying more challenging exercise variations, adding light resistance, or simply returning to normal daily activities you’d been avoiding.
Avoid arbitrary rules like “increase by exactly 10% every week”; your own response to the previous week’s activity is a better guide than a fixed formula. This kind of gradual, individualized progression is also reflected in NICE’s guidance, which favors programs tailored to the person over rigid, one-size-fits-all schedules.
When to see a physiotherapist or doctor
Professional guidance genuinely helps in several situations:
- Pain persists despite your efforts
- Symptoms repeatedly return
- Pain limits your daily activities
- Exercise isn’t improving your function
- You’re not sure which movements are appropriate for you
- You notice neurological symptoms
- Your pain follows significant trauma
A physiotherapist can assess your movement patterns, function, strength, and appropriate exercise progression in a way general information can’t. According to the WHO guideline, person-centered management, rather than relying on a single intervention in isolation, is the recommended approach for chronic primary low back pain specifically. The ACP guideline also notes that when initial nonpharmacologic approaches like exercise aren’t providing adequate relief, that’s generally a point to revisit the treatment plan with a clinician rather than simply pushing harder on your own.
Common lower back pain exercise mistakes
A handful of patterns tend to slow recovery more than the back pain itself.
Mistake 1: Staying in bed for too long
Appropriate activity is generally preferable to prolonged inactivity for many people with nonspecific back pain.
Mistake 2: Doing too much too soon
Suddenly increasing exercise intensity or volume can aggravate symptoms rather than resolve them.
Mistake 3: Searching for one “magic” exercise
Back pain varies considerably between individuals, and no single exercise works universally.
Mistake 4: Stretching aggressively
More stretching isn’t necessarily better, especially during a painful flare.
Mistake 5: Avoiding all movement out of fear
Fear of movement can actually make returning to normal activity harder over time, not easier. Building general confidence with movement is also connected to exercise and mental health more broadly, not just physical recovery.
Mistake 6: Continuing an exercise that consistently worsens symptoms
If something reliably makes things worse, modify or stop it, and consider professional guidance rather than pushing through.
Mistake 7: Treating online exercise advice as a diagnosis
Exercises, including the ones in this article, can’t determine the underlying cause of your back pain. That requires a proper evaluation.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best exercises for lower back pain?
There isn’t one universally best exercise. Gentle aerobic activity like walking, mobility work, and controlled strengthening exercises like bird dogs and glute bridges are commonly used options that may help many people with nonspecific low back pain.
What exercise is best for lower back pain?
This depends on your specific symptoms and fitness level. Walking is a reasonable, low-barrier starting point for many people, while others benefit more from targeted mobility or strengthening work.
Can exercise make lower back pain worse?
Yes, particularly if intensity is increased too quickly or if a specific movement consistently aggravates your symptoms. This is why gradual progression and paying attention to your own response matter so much.
Is walking good for lower back pain?
Yes, for many people. Walking is accessible, low-impact, and can help you stay active without requiring special equipment. Start at a comfortable duration and pace, and increase gradually.
Should I stretch if I have lower back pain?
Gentle stretching or mobility work may help some people, though it isn’t a guaranteed treatment and shouldn’t be aggressive, especially during a painful episode. Stop if stretching causes sharp or worsening pain.
Are squats bad for lower back pain?
Not inherently. Squats aren’t forbidden for people with a back pain history, but technique, load, and your current symptoms matter. Someone with significant current pain shouldn’t start with heavy squats.
Are sit-ups bad for lower back pain?
Not automatically. Whether sit-ups are appropriate depends on your individual tolerance and symptoms. Alternatives like bird dogs or dead bugs may be more comfortable starting points for some people.
Can core exercises help lower back pain?
Core exercises can be one component of a broader exercise program that supports trunk strength and control, though they aren’t a guaranteed fix on their own.
How often should I exercise with lower back pain?
This depends on your symptoms, fitness level, and how you recover between sessions. Consistency generally matters more than doing occasional intense sessions.
What exercises should I avoid with lower back pain?
Rather than a fixed list, focus on avoiding or modifying movements that consistently worsen your specific symptoms, particularly heavy lifting with poor technique, aggressive stretching, and high-impact activity during a painful flare.
Should I rest or exercise when my lower back hurts?
For most nonspecific low back pain, staying appropriately active tends to be more helpful than prolonged bed rest. That said, mild activity modification during a flare is reasonable, and severe or concerning symptoms need professional evaluation rather than either extreme.
When should I see a doctor for lower back pain?
See a doctor if pain persists, keeps recurring, limits your daily activities, comes with numbness or weakness, follows significant trauma, or if you’re unsure which movements are appropriate for your situation. Seek urgent care for loss of bladder or bowel control, saddle numbness, or significant leg weakness.
Sources
- World Health Organization (WHO). WHO Releases Guidelines on Chronic Low Back Pain
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Low Back Pain and Sciatica in Over 16s: Assessment and Management (NG59)
- Qaseem A, Wilt TJ, McLean RM, Forciea MA. Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain: A Clinical Practice Guideline From the American College of Physicians. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2017.
Medical disclaimer
This article is for general information and education. It is not medical advice and cannot diagnose the cause of your back pain. If you have persistent, severe, or worsening back pain, or symptoms of a possible emergency, seek medical evaluation promptly.
Read our full Medical Disclaimer.