The Spine Institute of America recommends strengthening pelvic, abdominal, and lumbar muscles as preventative measures to avoid the common back pains and injuries that so many nurses suffer. 

While most of us are familiar with ab exercises — even if we don’t like doing them! — we’re less familiar with pelvic and lumbar exercises even though they are just as important in the effort to protect our backs from constant aches, pains, and injuries.

Here are four stretches and exercises that you can do to strengthen the muscles in your pelvis and lumbar regions of the spine.

Spine-Strengthening Stretch #9: Lateral Leg Lifts

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There are a few variations of this exercise that was popularized by Jane Fonda too many years ago for me to want to count! But the movement is basically the same. 

This exercise works your hip abductor muscles and will ease strain in your lower back and support your pelvis. 

Lying on your side, supported on your elbow and with your legs out straight, raise the top leg off the bottom leg. Lower and repeat 10 times.

How high you lift your leg depends on your flexibility and hip strength right now, but your goal is to lift your leg as high as you can without your leg drifting forward or backward. Your strength and flexibility will increase measurably after just one week of performing this exercise. 

If your strength is high, you can add an exercise band around your thighs or ankles to increase resistance.

If your strength is low or your discomfort is high, you can perform a lighter variation of this exercise while standing. Keep one foot planted and lift your leg laterally out from your hip as high as you can.

Spine-Strengthening Stretch #10: Supermans

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Strengthening your spine extensors is critical for spine and pelvic health. Supermans are a simple exercise you can perform on your carpet or yoga mat in just five minutes — think: waking up and performing five of these every morning.

Lie face down with your arms extended in front of you like you are Superman. Simultaneously lift your legs and your arms off the floor like you are taking off. Hold the pose for a count of 3, 5, or 10 depending on your strength right now. If you can only hold for a count of 2, then do that. In a week, you’ll be able to hold for longer!

Your goal is to lift both your legs and arms off the floor. The height is less important in the beginning, especially if you are struggling with this move. For beginners, you may not be able to lift your legs and arm very high or for very long. But if that is the case, you will find your spine feels stronger after just a week of performing Supermans. 

Spine-Strengthening Stretch #11: Glute Bridges

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The gluteus maximus is an important muscle in your overall spine and pelvis health. Glute Bridges are a simple way to strengthen them. 

Lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, slowly raise your hips off the floor. Raise them until your spine makes a straight line from your knees to your neck. Lower your hips back to the floor and then repeat 10 times. 

It’s important to perform this exercise at medium speed, focusing on squeezing your buttocks with each movement.

Spine-Strengthening Stretch #12: Kegels

Kegels are a critical exercise for strengthening your pelvic floor, that group of muscles and connections supporting our pelvic organs. You can perform Kegels while sitting at your desk, the dinner table, or in your car. You can perform Kegels while standing at your station, at the grocery store, or while watching TV at home.

They are, literally, the easiest exercise we can perform without anyone even knowing we’re doing them. 

Performing Kegel exercises requires you to contract the muscles you would use to either slow your urine stream or to hold in gas if you are in public. Repeat the muscle contractions several times a day to improve not only your overall pelvic and lumbar strength, but also your sexual health as well. 

NursePower Empowers Nurses!

Taking care of your spine will reduce your daily aches and pains. Reducing or eliminating those pains will help you enjoy your job more. And when you enjoy your job more, you take care of your patients better. That’s the goal, right? We all became nurses so we could take care of people. 

As nurses, we’re pretty darn great at taking care of other people.

But we often stink at taking care of ourselves. 

NursePower Empowers Nurses! is all about helping you take better care of yourself. We share the tips and strategies you need because we know you’re too busy to go hunt them down yourself.

We got your back, now and always.