Fitness

8 Moves to Stretch Your Back

By Laura Inverarity, DO
Updated on August 31, 2024
Medically reviewed by Jason DelCollo, DO

Knowing how to stretch your back can help you ease pain and improve your range of motion. This can help you perform better in competitive sports or reduce the risk of injury from everyday activities.

Over time, muscle tension can cause significant back pain and increase your risk of a back injury. Routinely performing back stretches can help ward these issues off.

Avoid pushing past your pain limit when stretching. Listen to your body which will help ultimately lead to a calmer nervous system. 

Take special care when stretching during pregnancy. The hormones supporting your pregnancy could lead to overstretching or injury. Talk to your healthcare provider about any questions you have.

Some effective back stretches include:

  • Knees-to-chest backstretch
  • Supine twist back stretch
  • Prone bridging back stretch
  • Supine abdominal draw-in back stretch
  • Supine butt lift back stretch
  • Cat-cow back stretch
  • Seated forward curl back stretch
  • Side stretch

You can perform these exercises when your back hurts to ease a backache, or do them to prevent future problems.

Warming Up Your Muscles

Stretching cold muscles can lead to injury. Always warm up first:

  • Do between five and 10 minutes of activity, such as walking (preferred)
  • Apply moist heat for 15 to 20 minutes before stretching 

Knees-to-Chest Back Stretch

Woman does the double legged stretch.
bdibdus

To perform the knees-to-chest back stretch:

  1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
  2. Place your hands on the back of your thighs or below your knees and pull your legs toward your chest.
  3. Pull until you feel a gentle stretch.
  4. Hold for 15 seconds.
  5. Return to the starting position.
  6. Do a total of 10 times.

Supine Twist Back Stretch

A woman in the supine position twists her spine by bringing her knees to one side.
cirkoglu

To do the supine twist back stretch:

  1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
  2. Keeping your back flat on the floor, rotate your hips to the left, lowering your legs down to the floor until you feel a gentle stretch.
  3. Hold for 15 seconds.
  4. Return to the starting position.
  5. Next, rotate your hips to the right, lowering your legs down to the floor until you feel a gentle stretch.
  6. Hold for 15 seconds.
  7. Return to the starting position.
  8. Repeat this sequence 9 more times.

Prone Bridging Back Stretch

woman doing cobra yoga position

 Cal Crary / Taxi / Getty Images

To perform the prone bridging back stretch:

  1. Lie on your stomach.
  2. Prop yourself up on your elbows, extending your back.
  3. Start straightening your elbows, further extending your back.
  4. Continue straightening your elbows until you feel a gentle stretch.
  5. Hold for 15 seconds.
  6. Return to the starting position.
  7. Repeat nine more times.

Supine Abdominal Draw-In Back Stretch

Person with light skin and short hair lies on their back with knees bent

Justin Pumfrey / Getty Images

You can do the supine abdominal draw-in back stretch by:

  1. Lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
  2. Pushing the small of your back down and into the floor by tightening your lower abdominal muscles.
  3. Holding for a count of 10.
  4. Returning to starting position.
  5. Repeat nine more times.

Supine Butt Lift Back Stretch

Woman in leggings and sleeveless top performing back bridge stretching exercise, lying on floor, side view
Ruth Jenkinson / Getty Images

For the supine butt lift back stretch:

  1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
  2. Push down through your feet as you slowly lift your bottom off the floor.
  3. Hold for a count of 10.
  4. Return to starting position.
  5. Repeat nine more times.

Cat-Cow Back Stretch

Cat Cow Stretch
Ann Pizer

To do the cat-cow back stretch:

  1. Kneel on the floor in an all-fours position on your hands and knees.
  2. Curl your back up toward the ceiling like an angry cat.
  3. Hold for a count of 5.
  4. Return to the starting position.
  5. Pull your stomach down to the floor, hollowing out your back.
  6. Hold for a count of 5.
  7. Return to the starting position.
  8. Complete a total of 10 times.

Seated Forward Curl Back Stretch

Seated Forward Curl Back

Oliver Wu / Getty Images

To perform the seated forward curl back stretch:

  1. Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the ground.
  2. Curl your neck, upper back, and low back forward until your chest is on your thighs and you can touch the ground with your hands.
  3. Hold for a count of 10.
  4. Return to the starting position.
  5. Repeat nine more times.

Side Stretch

Side Stretch

Elizaveta Starkova / Getty Images

For the side stretch:

  1. Stand up straight with your arms at your sides and your feet shoulder-width apart.
  2. Bend your trunk sideways to the left while sliding your left hand down your thigh and reaching your right arm over your head.
  3. Hold for a count of 10.
  4. Return to the starting position.
  5. Now, bend your trunk sideways to the right while sliding your right hand down your thigh and reaching your left arm over your head.
  6. Hold for a count of 10.
  7. Repeat this sequence nine more times.

Other Ways to Loosen a Tight Back

Many healthcare providers recommend trying other treatments for back pain before using medication. Options that can help loosen the back include:

  • Acupuncture: In this form of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture needles are inserted in release points in an effort to unblock stagnated Qi energy flow. They are believed to have an analgesic, pain-relieving effect.
  • Massage therapy: Various types of massages are used to knead soft tissue in the back with hands, fingers, elbows, or a device to relieve stress or pain.
  • Spinal manipulation: Practiced by chiropractors, this therapy involves using the hands or another device to manipulate the joints in the spine to relieve pain.
  • Tai chi: This traditional Chinese exercise based on martial arts uses slow movements and deep breaths to work muscle groups in flowing motions to support back strength and overall health.
  • Yoga: A mix of physical poses, breathwork, and meditation, yoga is meant to build strength, be restorative, and relax the body.

An anti-inflammatory diet may also be of some benefit for tight muscles. Sticking to foods such as those on the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes fish, vegetables, and olive oil, may reduce chronic inflammation to help with back pain.

Summary

While these back stretches are generally safe and helpful, they may not be right for you. Talk to your healthcare provider about this or any other exercise regimen before getting started.

Your provider can determine whether any of these back stretches could be harmful for you. They may also suggest seeing a physical therapist, who can make sure you're doing everything properly and safely.

3 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Sudhakaran P. Acupuncture for Low-Back Pain. Med Acupunct. 2021;33(3):219-225. doi:10.1089/acu.2020.1499

  2. Foley C, Litscher G. The biggest obstacle to the integration of acupuncture: the meaning of qi from the ancients to Einstein. Medical Acupuncture. Published online August 10, 2023:acu.2023.0054. doi:10.1089/acu.2023.0054

  3. U.S. Department of Defense. Complementary Alternative Medicine for Low Back Pain.

By Laura Inverarity, DO
 Laura Inverarity, PT, DO, is a current board-certified anesthesiologist and former physical therapist.

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