Strengthening Lower Back

[hereandthere]

About 4 months ago I injured my lower back, not doing anything too unusual - just running at a normal pace. The injury was diagnosed as a pinched sciatic nerve, the result of a "mild" amount of disc herniation.

I was pretty much unable to do anything physical for the first 3 weeks after the injury, but about 5-6 weeks later I was more or less fully functional and pain-free.

That said, I'm interested in recommendations, specifically for exercises that could strengthen my lower back, minimizing my risk of injury in the future - keeping in mind that my back injury isn't that far in the past and my lower back is not one of the stronger parts of my body right now.

 

[Stitch626]

The same thing happened to me (I herniated my disc during a run as well). There are two things you have to do in order to return to normal performance.

The first is overall flexibility. I know it sounds strange but stretching is imperative and will help you in everyday life.

The second is strengthening your core. There are a lot of great exercises here:

hfpn.com/exercise-list-cid-1557.html?optcomp=CORE&optphase=Stabilization

These exercises will be great for you to start off with in building back up. A suggestion would be to start with the "Face Down: Iso Ab" (fancy name for a plank). Try 2 sets for 30 seconds and work up from there. Another great one to begin with would be the Floor Bridge (try 2 sets with a 3-5 second hold at the top of the movement).

If you're feeling fairly confident that you can start a lifting regimen again, I personally began with bodyweight exercises. I'd recommend push ups, pull ups, dips, and body weight squats.

Assuming you're comfortable with the flexibility, core, and body weight movements you should be ready to start normal training again. It really doesn't take too long to get to this point (maybe a few months at most?).

You'll be back to your old self in no time, good luck!

 

[aliCOOPER]

stretching like hip rotations, rump lifts, and thigh pulls will stretch your back muscles. remember to apply this before doing exercise. this should help.