Please note: This information is educational and not a substitute for medical advice. Check with your provider before starting a new exercise or self-care routine, especially if you have a heart or lung condition, recent surgery, osteoporosis, or are pregnant.
What it is
Your “core” is more than your stomach muscles. It includes the deep abdominal muscles, the muscles along the spine, the buttocks, the pelvic floor and the diaphragm. Together they help steady your trunk when you move, lift and stand.
Core training for back pain starts with gentle control exercises, not sit-ups or crunches.
How it may help
Mayo Clinic notes that core exercises may help with balance and stability and that strong core muscles may help with low back pain. Motor control and stabilization exercises are among the exercise approaches studied for chronic low back pain in guidelines.[1][2]
Physical therapists often use these exercises as part of a broader program. A therapist can check your form, which may make the exercises more effective and safer.[3]
Results vary from person to person. These approaches are meant to complement, not replace, the care plan from your provider.
Starter routine
1. Pelvic tilt
Lie on your back with knees bent. Gently tighten your stomach and flatten your lower back toward the floor, then relax.
Hold 5 seconds, 10 times
2. Bridge
Tighten your buttocks and lift your hips until your body makes a straight line from shoulders to knees. Lower slowly.
Hold 3–5 seconds, 8–12 times
3. Dead bug (beginner)
Lie on your back, knees and hips bent, arms toward the ceiling. Keeping your lower back steady, slowly lower one arm overhead and straighten the opposite leg, then switch.
5–8 each side, slowly
4. Bird dog
On hands and knees, keep your back flat. Slowly reach one arm forward and the opposite leg back, hold, and return. Start with just the arm or just the leg if needed.
Hold 5 seconds, 6–10 each side
5. Modified plank
On forearms and knees, keep a straight line from shoulders to knees and breathe normally.
Hold 10–20 seconds, 3–5 times
Illustrations move gently between positions. If your device is set to reduce motion, they stay still.
Safety tips
- Move slowly and keep breathing; do not hold your breath.
- Quality matters more than repetitions. Stop the set when your form slips.
- Skip sit-ups and crunches if they bother your back.
- Aim for 2 to 3 sessions a week and build up gradually.
Stop and call your provider if you notice:
- New weakness, numbness or tingling in a leg or arm, or numbness in the groin or inner thighs
- Loss of bladder or bowel control (call 911 or go to the emergency department)
- Chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness or fainting
- Sharp pain that is clearly worse during or after the activity and does not settle within a day or two
- Fever, unexplained weight loss, or pain after a fall or injury
Mild soreness that fades within a day is common when starting something new. Sharp, spreading or worsening pain is not.
Watch and learn
Video: “Pilates for back pain: The Bridge | NHS” from NHS on YouTube. It loads from youtube-nocookie.com only when you press play. Shown for general education; GSMC did not produce it. Watch on YouTube
Video: “Core Strength and Back Pain - Mayo Clinic Health System” from Mayo Clinic Health System on YouTube. It loads from youtube-nocookie.com only when you press play. Shown for general education; GSMC did not produce it. Watch on YouTube
Captions: press the CC button in the video player to turn on captions. Some captions are generated automatically by YouTube and may contain errors.
Conditions this may help with
Sources
- Mayo Clinic: Core exercises: why you should strengthen your core muscles
- American College of Physicians: Noninvasive treatments for acute, subacute, and chronic low back pain (clinical practice guideline, Annals of Internal Medicine, 2017)
- American Physical Therapy Association (ChoosePT): Physical therapy guide to low back pain
This information is educational and not a substitute for medical advice.