7 Ways To Correct Arched Back

Arched back, also known as Hyperlordosis, is a condition where there is an excessive curvature in the lower back. There are several ways to correct an arched back. In this article, we will talk about some of those ways.

7 Ways To Correct Arched Back

7 Ways To Correct Arched Back:

#1. Release The Tight Muscles:

It is essential for you to release the tight muscles while correcting arched back. For doing this, you need to lie on the floor with your hip and knees bent. Then place a massage ball on the tight muscles, under your lower back region and relax the weight of your body on the top of the ball. Then, move your body in a circular motion on the top of the ball so as to target the tight areas. Proceed to cover all the tight muscles for at least 60 seconds each. Make sure you do not hold your breath while doing this.

Release The Tight Muscles

#2. Strengthen Your Abdominals:

The muscles in the stomach play many crucial roles. They not only contribute to the spinal stability, but also tilt the pelvis backward or posteriorly. This helps in reducing excessive curvature in the lumbar spine and diminishes the strain on the muscles of the lower back. There are several effective exercises for strengthening the abdominals. Below mentioned are some exercise to strengthen the abdominal muscles and also to help correct the arched back :

Planks: Planks could be really great exercise for strengthening your abdominals. Place both your forearms on the ground and lift your body up onto your toes. Engage your abdominals and hold your spine straight, while maintaining this position. Take a break after 10 seconds and then repeat the exercise 10 times. Make sure you keep breathing steadily as you hold the planks.

Planks Exercise

Braced Marching: This is one more way to correct the arched back by strengthening your abdominals. For this, lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Then, tilt your pelvis backwards as you flatten your lower back against the ground. Hold this tilt and then slowly alternate marching each leg up and back down again. Take rest, after completing 10 repetitions with each leg. Do 2-3 sets of this exercise, if possible.

Braced Marching

Bird Dog: Bird dog is one more thing you can perform to strengthen your abdominals which would also help you correct arched back. For performing this exercise, get onto your hands and knees and flatten the lower back by engaging your abdominal muscles. Then, lift and straighten one arm in front of you and take the opposite leg behind you without allowing your pelvis to tilt. Hold this position for about 10 seconds, before lowering your extremities back to the ground and repeating the same with the alternate arm and leg. Do 10 repetitions, on each side and take a break.

Bird Dog

Dead Bug Exercise: This is a wonderful exercise you can do to engage your abdominal wall, so as to keep your spine in neutral. You must keep in mind that while performing this exercise, there should be no tension in the lower back, you need to keep your lower back completely flat against the floor, your chest should not flare out, and remember to engage the core and abdominal muscles throughout all movements.There could be few variations of this exercise, which you can try.

  1. Leg Drop(Bent Knee): This is one variation of the dead bug exercise. For doing this, lie on your back with your hip and knee bent at 90 degrees and feet off the floor. Make sure you keep both your knees bent throughout the movement. Keep your right knee bent towards your chest and slowly lower your left leg towards the ground. Make sure you lower the left leg as far as you can, whilst maintaining the lower back completely flat on the ground. Then, return back to the normal or starting position and alternate the legs. Repeat this 10 times.

    Dead Bug Exercise

  2. Alternate Arm/ Leg Drop: This is another variation of the dead bug exercise which you can try for strengthening your abdominal muscles and correcting arched back. For doing this, keep your knees and hip bent at 90 degrees and feet off the floor, and arms straight up in the air. Slowly, lower your left leg and right arm towards the ground. Make a note to lower as far as you can, whilst maintaining your lower back completely flat on the ground. Then, return back to the starting position and alternate opposite arms and legs. Do 10 repetitions.

    Alternate Arm/ Leg Drop

NOTE: Do, not hold your breaths while you perform this exercise.

#3. Stretches For Your Back:

Prayer Pose: This is a stretching exercise which requires you to kneel on the floor and spread and reach your hands as far in front of you as possible and sit back into your hips. You need to aim to feel a stretch in your lower back. Take deep breaths in and out, and do this for at least 60 seconds.

Prayer Pose

Hip Flexor Stretch: Hip flexor stretch is another stretch that you can do to correct arched back. You need to assume a deep lunge position, tuck your tailbone underneath you, remain upright and make sure that you feel the stretch in the front of your hip of the back leg. Here, you need to hold the stretch for at least 60 seconds and repeat this at least 3-5 times on each side.

Hip Flexor Stretch

Lat Stretch: Lat stretch is yet aother effective exercise to correct arched back. For doing this, you need to stand with your feet, shoulder width apart and bend all the way to one side. You can reach your arm over, so as to emphasize the stretch. Intend to feel a stretch on the side of your body to the lower back. Hold this position for 60 seconds and then alternate the sides.

Lat Stretch

#4. Strengthen Your Glute Muscles:

It is also essential for you to strengthen the glute muscles or activate the glute muscles in order to correct arched back. If your buttock muscles are not doing their right job, the lower back tends to take over and thus results in an arched back. So, you need to perform some exercises to strengthen the glute muscles. Below are some of them:

Standing Kick Back: This exercise requires you to stand upright and extend your leg backwards, until you feel your gluteals contract firmly. Keep your lower ribs down, by engaging your abdominal muscles. Make sure not to arch your back and also do not rotate or bend forward. Hold this for at least 5 seconds and then alternate the legs. Do 20 repetition on each leg.

Standing Kick Back

Bridge Pose: This is another effective exercise to correct an arched back. For this, lie down on your back keeping your knees bent. Flatten your lower back to the ground. Keep your lower ribs down, by engaging the abdominal muscles. Now, lift your buttocks off the floor, by pushing off with your heels. Make sure you lift as high as you can without arching your lower back. Hold this position for 5 seconds and repeat 15 times.

Bridge Pose

#5. Know How To Breathe Properly

How you breathe, is very important in deciding your correct posture. So breathing right could also help with correcting an arched back. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor, take a deep breath via your nose and slowly let the air pass out via your mouth. As you reach the point where you empty your lungs completely, notice, how your lower ribs and lower back drop towards the ground. Maintain this lowered rib position by engaging your abdominal muscles gently. By drawing your belly button in, engage your core muscles. Continue the diaphragmatic breathing for 10 repetitions. Practice this as many times as you can, all throughout the day.

Know How To Breathe Properly

#6. Do Few Over Head Activities:

Make sure that you abstain from performing over head activities, or exercises, such as shoulder press at gym, painting the ceiling, or putting clothes on the line as much as possible. By doing these over head activities, people tend to over arch their lower back, and that could lead to a great problem

Do Few Over Head Activities

#7. Maintain A Good Posture While Standing Or Sitting:

It is also essential for you to maintain a good posture, while sitting or standing so as to correct an arched back. For positioning the ribs correctly, you need to follow certain things.

Maintain A Good Posture While Standing Or Sitting

  • Place your hand at the front of your lower rib cage.
  • Gently guide your lower rib cage down and backwards.
  • Ensure not to over shoot this movement.
  • You should feel some pressure being taken off your lower back.
  • You might even feel a stretch if you are very tight.

PRECAUTIONS: It must be noted that though an arched back could be caused by a combination of muscle weakness and tightness, it may also be caused due to something more serious. It is very important to report your problem to your doctor, especially if they are accompanied by sharp pain, numbness, weakness in the lower body or incontinence of the bowel or bladder.

Conclusion:

Though the exercises we mentioned above could help you to some extent, it is always essential for you to address your overall posture to get corrected with the arched back. Talk to your doctor and take the best possible treatments for correcting arched back.

Exercises To Fix Sway Back or Arched Back

Also Read:

Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:August 13, 2019

Recent Posts

Related Posts