You KNOW if you have a pinched nerve in your lower back.
You’ll feel:
- sharp pain
- numbness
- tingling
- OR even weakness
And these symptoms probably aren’t even happening in your lower back. They’re most likely traveling down the nerve path into your pelvis, legs, or feet.
If you’re in any kind of pain from a pinched nerve, you may be looking for a proactive way to get RID of your pain.
At Back Muscles Solutions, we believe that if you fix the muscles, you fix the pain. And that goes for nerve pain, too. We like to take lower back muscles by storm through education on all things massaging, stretching, and strengthening.
When it comes to pain from a pinched nerve, we don’t like to play around. So, here’s one of our best solutions to lower back pain from a pinched nerve: try out some “exercises for a pinched nerve in your lower back.
The best part is that you could try any of these exercises from home today. Actually, right now.
In this article, you’ll find our 12 best exercises for a pinched nerve in your lower back. Follow along with the instructions and pictures, so you can easily try these exercises out literally as you read this article.
Now, let’s get you out of pain!
12 Best Exercises for Pinched Nerve in Lower Back
One great rule of thumb when it comes to exercises for a pinched nerve in your lower back is to listen to your body.
You should NEVER feel continued discomfort or pain during ANY of these exercises.
And if that happens to you, definitely STOP the exercises and try something lighter. OR talk to your doctor about other exercise options for you.
I’ll start with the easiest exercises for pinched nerve in lower back and then get progressively more difficult with the exercises I teach.
Exercises for Pinched Nerve in Lower Back #1: Lie Down On Your Stomach
I told you we were starting light. This first exercise is super basic, but truly just spending some time on your stomach lying down is a great place to start when looking for exercises for a pinched nerve in your lower back.
I won't give instructions for this one because I’m assuming we all know how to lie down on our stomachs–but I will say: adding a pillow underneath your chest can really elevate this stretch. By lifting up your chest just a bit with that pillow, you extend your lower back, which could be helpful for that pinched nerve.
Exercises for Pinched Nerve in Lower Back #2: Brace Your Abs
This one’s also simple to perform. You just sit in a chair, and brace your core. The key with this one is strengthening your abs, which impacts your overall back health and could help prevent you from getting a pinched nerve again!
1) Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the floor.
2) Brace your abdominal muscles as you continue to breathe through this movement.
3) Hold the squeeze for a few seconds. Then, release.
4) Repeat for the desired amount of reps.
Exercises for Pinched Nerve in Lower Back #3: Lie Down On Your Back With a Towel
This one's also pretty basic.
1) Lie down on your back on a yoga mat.
2) Then, place a rolled-up towel across your lower back.
3) You’ll feel that the towel will help accentuate the natural arch in your back, which can relieve pain from your pinched nerve.
Exercises for Pinched Nerve in Lower Back #4: Lying Down Pelvic Tilt
Okay so, you’re still on your back for this one, and a similar concept applies to helping promote the natural arch in your back.
1) Lie down on your back on a yoga mat.
2) Tighten your core to pull your pelvis up and towards your upper body.
3) Then, relax your core as you lower your pelvis–driving your glutes down into the mat.
4) Repeat for the desired amount of reps.
Exercises for Pinched Nerve in Lower Back #5: Hands and Knees Pelvic Tilt
This one’s similar, but you’re gonna want to switch to your hands and knees instead of lying down.
Think cat-cow pose for this one–but try to put more emphasis on your pelvic motion rather than the entire back arching. Though your back will still arch a bit!
1) Position yourself on all 4’s on a yoga mat.
2) Tilt your pelvis up, flexing your back. Pause at the top of this motion.
3) Then, release, arching your back to bring your pelvis down.
4) Repeat for the desired amount of reps.
Exercises for Pinched Nerve in Lower Back #6: Seated Pelvic Tilt
You can also perform this exercise in a seated variation.
1) Sit down on a chair with your feet flat on the floor.
2) Place your thumbs on your lower back.
3) Tilt your pelvis forward, arching your back, and hold for a few seconds.
4) Then, bring your pelvis back, straightening your back.
5) Repeat for the desired amount of reps.
Exercises for Pinched Nerve in Lower Back #7: Standing Pelvic Tilt
And the last pelvic tilt can be performed while standing.
1) Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2) Place your thumbs on your lower back.
3) Tilt your pelvis forward, arching your back, and hold for a few seconds.
4) Then, bring your pelvis back, straightening your back.
5) Repeat for the desired amount of reps.
Exercises for Pinched Nerve in Lower Back #8: Knees to Chest
1) Lie down on your back on a yoga mat.
2) Lock both hands behind the knee on your symptomatic side, interlacing your fingers.
3) Now, pull your knee up towards your chest.
4) Hold for a few seconds. Then release, and repeat for the desired amount of reps.
5) Once you’re done, switch sides.
You can also make this exercise more difficult by lifting your head off of the ground, which will engage your abs and cause you to go into a little mini crunch. Again, core engagement is key for lower back strength, so if this added level of difficulty feels okay to you, go for it!
You can also bring BOTH knees up at the same time if that feels okay to you.
Exercises for Pinched Nerve in Lower Back #9: Figure 4 Exercise
This is similar to the knees to chest exercise, but it gives an even deeper stretch.
1) Lie down on your back on a yoga mat.
2) Bend your knees, and place your feet flat on the floor.
3) Bring the foot of your symptomatic side up onto the knee of the opposite side.
4) Then, lock both hands behind the knee, interlacing your fingers.
5) Use your hands to pull your knee towards your chest.
6) Hold for a few seconds, and then repeat for the desired amount of reps.
7) Switch sides when you’re done.
Exercises for Pinched Nerve in Lower Back #10: Toes to the Sky
This exercise for pinched nerves in your lower back is ideal because it really focuses on stretching the nerve and relieving the pain.
1) Lie down on your back on a yoga mat.
2) Bend your knees, and place your feet flat on the floor.
3) Lock both hands behind the knee on the symptomatic side, interlacing your fingers.
4) Use your hands to support as you pull your leg up vertically and hold for several seconds.
5) Flex your foot as you hold this exercise.
6) Then, release, and repeat for the desired amount of reps.
7) Repeat on the other side.
Exercises for Pinched Nerve in Lower Back #11: Prone Press
1) Lie down on your stomach on a yoga mat with your elbows on the ground, forearms extended out in front of you, and palms flat on the ground.
2) As you hold this position, you should feel some tension in your lower back but not any pain.
Exercises for Pinched Nerve in Lower Back #12: Cobra
A level up from the prone press is the cobra, which can be used with the prone press to add a deeper stretch.
1) Lie down on your stomach on a yoga mat with your elbows on the ground, forearms extended out in front of you, and palms flat on the ground.
2) Now, straighten your elbows, extend your neck, and arch your back.
3) After holding for a moment, lower back down into the prone press.
4) Repeat for the desired amount of reps.
Symptoms for Pinched Neve in Lower Back
Still on the fence about whether or not you have a pinched nerve in your lower back? Here’s a more detailed explanation of symptoms that are tell-tale signs of a pinched nerve in your lower back!
If you have pain stemming from the muscles in your lower back, it might feel dull and achy.
Different from muscles: pain from a pinched nerve will feel sharp and acute! Some people even describe it as stabbing!
Less painful symptoms include numbness, tingling, or weakness.
Sciatica
One common type of pain from a pinched nerve is called sciatica. This is when your sciatic nerve in particular is the one getting pinched. Since this nerve travels from your lower back to your feet, it’s a huge nerve that causes lots of problems once it’s pinched!
Sciatica is typically felt in your:
- Pelvis
- Glutes
- Legs
- Feet
And while you may experience some lower back pain with sciatica, it’s your legs that’ll feel the pain due to your sciatic nerve extending all the way down there.
If you think you have sciatica, check out some of our other resources on ways to help sciatica.
“Sciatica Massage: How Muscles Can Cause & Relieve Sciatica”
“Last Stages of Sciatica: How to Know if Your Sciatica is Getting Better or Worse”
“Sciatica Relief in 8 Minutes or Less”
Causes of Pinched Nerve in Lower Back
When it comes to pinched nerves in lower backs, herniated discs are the most likely culprit you have to thank for those knife-like pains.
What is a herniated disc?
Imagine your spine like a stack of blocks. Each block is separated by a squishy disc, kind of like a jelly doughnut, to keep them from rubbing against each other.
Sometimes, the jelly inside one of these discs can get squeezed out, like when you press too hard on a doughnut. When this happens, it's called a herniated disc. It can push on the nerves in your back, which causes them to get pinched!
Sometimes, herniated discs can happen from a sudden movement or injury, but in many cases, it just happens over time from wear and tear on your back.
Other Ways to Help Your Pinched Nerve in Your Lower Back
All of the exercises for pinched nerve in lower back included in this article are amazing steps you can easily take from home to help out your pinched nerve situation.
However, if you’re looking for other easy ways to help your pinched nerve, there are some steps you can take.
Posture
Poor posture can greatly contribute to a pinched nerve, and there are some steps you can easily take to help out with this.
Place a pillow behind your back: Placing a pillow behind your back for lumbar support can be a great way to support your back if you’re sitting for long periods of time.
Set up an ergonomic work station: Setting up an ergonomic work station is easier than it sounds, and I recommend checking out our article below for tips and tricks on how to set this up.
“What’s the Most Important Benefit of Maintaining a Neutral Posture?”
Movement
Adding some movement into your day is almost always helpful in relieving pain from a pinched nerve in your lower back.
Walking will stretch your nerves and get your blood flowing, which can also be helpful for a pinched nerve.
Of course, pay attention to your body’s cues and stop if walking hurts too much!
Lower Back Massage
When you massage the muscles in your lower back, you can help calm down:
- Swelling
- Agitation
- And Inflammation
All of which could be contributing to your pinched nerve.
That’s why massaging your lower back muscles could be particularly helpful when addressing pain from a pinched nerve in your lower back.
Not to brag, but there’s NO BETTER massage tool to help your lower back pain than the one we created.
It’s called the QL Claw, and our founder, Ben, made this massage device after suffering from years of back pain. And through it, he helped his own back.
The QL Claw addresses muscle tension by targeting all 6 muscles that are major contributors to lower back pain.
The best part about the QL Claw is that you can use it right from your own home.
See what people are saying about The Claw below.
Purchase a QL Claw HERE.
Other Resources for Back Pain
Articles:
“Stretches for Pinched Nerve in Lower Back”
“Sciatica Massage: How Muscles Can Cause & Relieve Sciatica”
“Why My Back Hurts When I Breathe: Understanding the Causes and Solutions”
Videos:
“How I Fix Lower Back Muscle Spasms FAST”
“Trigger Point Therapy For Herniated Discs”
“Back Hurts When Bending Over? NO MORE”
Exercises for Pinched Nerve in Lower Back: FAQs
How do you calm a pinched nerve in your lower back?
You can calm a pinched nerve in your lower back by trying stretches and exercises for pinched nerve in lower back that I cover in this article. You can also massage your muscles to calm down a pinched nerve in your lower back.
What is the best exercise for a pinched nerve in the lower back?
In my opinion, the best exercise for a pinched nerve in the lower back is the Figure 4 exercise–but that’s just because that’s what works well for me. I recommend trying the 12 exercises for pinched nerve in lower back included in this article and finding what works for you!
Is walking good for a pinched nerve in your back?
Walking and movement is good for a pinched nerve in your back. It can relieve the pain and increase blood flow.
How long does it take to get rid of a pinched nerve in your lower back?
A mild pinch in your lower back could take just a few days to heal, but if you have a more severe pinch, you may be looking at several weeks-3 months.
Can you rub out a pinched nerve in your back?
Massage therapy can be helpful in calming down the muscles around the pinched nerve to relieve pain in your lower back.
How do you release a pinched nerve?
Stretches and exercises for pinched nerve in lower back can be really helpful in releasing pinched nerve pain.
Is it good to stretch a pinched nerve?
Yes, stretching a pinched nerve can loosen up the muscles around it. I recommend checking out the stretches in our article:
“Stretches for Pinched Nerve in Lower Back”
[1] Donnelly, Joseph M. Travell, Simons & Simons Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: the Trigger Point Manual. 3rd ed., Wolters Kluwer Health, 2019.
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9638590/