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Improving Posture: Exercises to Correct Excessive Low Back Curve
Improve Your Posture: How to Correct an Excessive Lower Back Curve
Are you aiming to improve your posture? Correcting an exaggerated curve in your lower back is achievable with targeted exercises.
Experiencing lower back pain? This discomfort often stems from an abnormal arch in your spine, known as a larger-than-normal lordotic curve.
This guide unveils essential exercises designed to rectify an increased curve in your lower back posture. After mastering the foundational routines, you’ll find advanced exercises to further enhance your posture.
See Also: Advanced Posture Exercises For Your Rounde Upper Back
Understanding Posture: Addressing Hyperlordosis
The natural curves in your lower back and neck, known as lordosis, play a crucial role in your overall posture. Normal lordosis is common and healthy.
However, the internet is rife with misinformation regarding posture correction. As a practising chiropractor, my goal is to provide you with accurate and reliable information to navigate posture improvements effectively.
Excessive curvature, or hyperlordosis, refers to an overpronounced curve in the lower back. “Hyper” indicates an excess, much like the term “hyperactive.” Conversely, “hypo” denotes a deficiency, indicating less curvature than normal.
It’s possible to exhibit hyperlordotic posture without experiencing pain. Nevertheless, addressing this condition early is vital to reduce the risk of developing osteoarthritis in the joints and discs of your lower spine.
See Also: 4 Upper Back Exercises To Improve Posture
Correcting Hyperlordosis: Enhancing Appearance and Reducing Risk
Proactively adjusting a hyperlordotic posture not only mitigates health risks but can also refine your silhouette. Through specific exercises, we can realign your pelvis, diminishing the appearance of lordosis without altering your body’s natural shape.
Causes of Hyperlordosis Include:
Tight Muscles:
- Erector spinae muscles along the spine.
- The hip flexor muscle is known as the psoas.
Weak Muscles:
- The gluteus maximus shapes your buttocks.
- Abdominal muscles, particularly the rectus abdominis or “six-pack” muscles, remain concealed for many under a layer of fat.
Hyperlordosis results from an imbalance between overly tight muscles pulling in one direction and weak muscles failing to compensate, exacerbating the spinal curve.
Correcting Your Posture: Balancing Muscle Strength
To amend your posture, begin by stretching the tight muscles before strengthening the weaker ones. This balanced approach is key to correcting an excessive lower back curve and improving your overall posture.
A: Arch Your Lower Back Like The Cat Pose in Yoga – Stretch your low back erector spinae (low back muscles).
- Get on all fours with your hands under your shoulders, your knees under your hips.
- Arch your upper back and lower back like a cat does when it’s scared.
- Hold for 30 seconds – do 3 sets.
- If you have a disc problem, or it hurts to arch and flex your back, this exercise is not for you.
A: Child Pose: Second stretch for your low back erector spinae (low back muscles).
- Get on your hands and knees.
- Sit back onto your heels with your arms reaching out as far as they will go.
- Your head is looking down – neck down.
- Hold for 30 seconds – do 3 sets.
A: Lunge Pose: You need to stretch the hip flexor muscles (psoas muscles)
- Get down on your knees.
- Put one leg forward with the knee bent to 90 degrees.
- The other leg is back with the knee very slightly bent resting on the floor.
- You should feel the stretch in the front part of your hip.
- Hold for 30 seconds and do 3 sets.
Second, strengthen your gluteus maximus (your butt-shaping muscle) and abs (your rectus abdominis muscles or six-pack muscles)
I will give you two exercises to strengthen your gluteus maximus. The squat and the single-leg squat.
B: The Chair Squat To Strengthen Your Gluteus Maximus
- Stand with your back to the chair.
- Your feet should be shoulder width apart with your feet turned out slightly
- Make sure to not arch your lower back when lowering yourself down to the chair.
- Touch the chair and come right back up 10 – do 3 sets.
B: Single Leg Squat To Improve Your Posture. When you can do three sets of chair squats easily, try single-leg squats.
- Always stand near a wall so, you can support yourself if you lose your balance.
- Stand on one leg.
- Stick out your butt as much as you can while bringing your other leg back, dragging it on the floor to keep balance.
- Go as far as you can with the back leg.
- Don’t let your knee go forward past the big toe
- Do 3 sets of 10.
Strengthen Your Abs To Help Your Posture
B: Front Planks strengthen your abs without putting dangerous pressure on your discs like crunches and sit-ups do.
- Lie face down.
- Toes together and your arms shoulder width apart.
- Hold this position without raising your butt too high
- Your body should form a straight line. Look in the mirror.
- Hold for up to 1 minute at a time. – do the exercise 3 times.
B: Advanced Abs Strengthening To Help Your Posture
- Get a basketball or medicine ball.
- Get in the front plank position.
- Balance with your forearms on your medicine ball/basketball.
- Pull your arms in toward you while balancing on the ball.
Feel free to share your questions, thoughts and experiences in the comments below, and don’t forget to connect with us on Facebook for more updates and tips on improving your shoulder health. We’d love to hear your opinions on who you consider the best Toronto chiropractor.
Dr. Ken, has been recognized as the Best Toronto Chiropractor in 2024, 2023, and 2018, here in downtown Toronto. As a sports chiropractor, he excels in treating a wide range of conditions including concussions, temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ), sports-related injuries, and spinal issues. Beyond his clinical skills, Dr. Ken is an accomplished athlete, having represented Ontario in the Canadian Judo Championships and completed the Toronto Marathon on two occasions. He employs the innovative C3 Program to provide targeted and effective care to his patients, ensuring a holistic approach to their well-being and athletic performance.
Hello! I am 22 years old and I have had terrible back problems for several years, I went to the doctors and I also do physical therapy, the diagnosis being lumbar scoliosis, physical therapy does not help me much and I also take vitamins to strengthen the spine, it does not help me much because I have continued very severe pain, restless sleep and nervousness due to pain. The spine to the touch feels that it is not straight but has an arched surface.
Go to a chiropractor and start yoga, best advice I can give you. Has saved me from being in a wheelchair after two herniated discs and scoliosis
Hello, Doctor!
I’m a 53 year old woman with no health issues (other than the occasional arthritis in my knees and some periodic tendonitis in both my elbows that extends to stiffness in my right hand in the morning – usually after excessive use, which, along with repetitive motion, is what caused the tendonitis in the first place.)
Over the last three or four months, I began to wake up with back pain in my lower back. At first I thought it was because my mattress was quite old (15 yrs), but also experienced this on another bed in the house (but it was an inexpensive one for the guest room.) I purchased a plush hybrid mattress, which only exacerbated the pain. So, I purchased a firm mattress with no memory foam and a pillow top (I need some cushion otherwise the pressure points on my shoulders cause pain and I generally prefer the feel of a softer mattress.) After a few nights, I began to experience the lower pain upon waking again, albeit not as bad as with the hybrid mattress. It usually goes away in about 15 minutes or so.
I’ve discovered that I seem to be overarching my back during my sleep, even when lying on my back (although I don’t do it during the day). Although I don’t have a single, preferred sleep position, I used to sleep mostly on my side and stomach because I’ve never been able to sustain deep sleep on my back. I now wake up several times during the night to change position as I feel the back pain begin. I suspect poor core strength, but wanted to know if you had other observations.
Thanks for this article, by the way, and thank you for taking a moment to read this.
P.S. Please send a reply to my email since I don’t know if this site will send a notification of your response, if you post one.
Author
Thanks for your question Barbara. Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I think you need to learn how to flatten your back. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPaiq9wd7ko&ab_channel=RedefiningStrength
After that, you should be fine in a firm or hybrid bed, if you learn how to basically relax your lower back while sleeping. Once you have done the exercise 300 times, try to sleep on a harder bed. By doing the exercise 300 days over a period of 10 days your body will do this automatically. Until the body does this automatically you will continue to have pain. It takes practice until you can get proper control of your body. Good luck.
That is my opinion and not a recommendation. Always consult a chiropractor or physiotherapist that can examine you in person. I will do my upmost to answer your questions to the best of my ability. Hope that helps.
I use tablets a lot, my upper back is severely curved and I just want to make all of my back straight, what should I do?
Author
Thanks for your question Hassan. I would try these exercises. Always make sure you see a chiropractor in person and don’t rely on the internet. This is an opinion and not a recommendation. Hope that helps.
Thank you so much for putting together this article! I play the violin in my high school orchestra- I really started to get serious about it this year. Because of this, I’ve been practicing a lot. And with this I very quickly get a lot of back pain, often distrusting my focus and ability to practice for a prolonged period of time. After finding this article I’ll implement some planking and stretching to my after practice regimen to hopefully alleviate my pain. I don’t know how I could quite put into words how thankful I am- this will greatly help further pursue my passion. Do you have any other tips for posture and such for a musician?
Author
Thanks for your question Kailee. Getting started with the exercises will definitely help. For musicians playing the violin, I first recommend that your midback be more extended instead of bent forward. Also, working out will with an emphasis on your upper back will be helpful. Here are some exercises to get you going. https://www.bodiempowerment.com/advanced-posture-exercises/
This is an opinion and not a recommendation. It is always wise to go see someone that can take a proper history and examine you rather than relying on the internet.
Hope that helps.
doctor I’m 13 and my back arches and hurts sometimes can I still play football?
Author
Thanks for your question Dylan. I am assuming you are from the USA based on your IP and that you mean American football and not soccer. There is always a chance that you can hurt yourself or someone will hurt you with American football. Other players sometimes want to hurt you.
I think your main question though centres around if playing American football combined with your posture and your back hurting will cause you damage to your lower back. The answer is there is always a chance. Most people in your situation aren’t going to damage their backs permanently. If you straighten out your lower back more, your risk of injury will decrease. So doing the exercises will help.
Linebackers often get hit from the front and get their spine extended. Meaning linebackers bend their spine backwards often. A common injury is a fracture of L5 the bottom vertebrae in your spine called spondylolisthesis. This injury happens after repeated extension in youth. For some people, it’s not painful, while for others it is painful. It’s usually painful when the injury is due to a big hit with a lot of extension to the spine while the repeated small extensions are usually not painful. This is my experience anyways.
That’s my opinion and not a recommendation. If you have any more questions this chiropractor will do his best to give you a good answer.
hi, my younger sister is diagnosed with lumbar lordosis she has severe lower back pain specially during menstraution but now it become permanent. she walk by placing hand on back. her weight is also losed 2 kgs. Every arthopaed physician prescribed high potency pain kilers only. kindly tell me to whom consultant should she consult how can she get rid off this pain.
Author
Thanks for your question Areeba. It’s not likely that posture alone is the cause of her hyperlordosis. If it is then the exercises should help her. The above is an opinion and not a recommendation.
Hope that helps your sister’s lumbar lordosis.
Whenever I lie on ground my lower back touches the ground and when I try to get up, it hurts, what should I do?
Hi Dr, I stumbled across your page and found it interesting and it may relate to me issue. I have have lower to mid back pain for 2 years now. Have gone through MRI’s, X-rays, Doctors, you name it. And nothing is seriously wrong. My lower back is quite curved I have noticed and have also been told by other people. My underwear line falls lower on the front then the back of me which proves this. From your opinion, do you think these routine will help?
Author
Thanks for your question Jordan. The exercises should help but of course are not guaranteed.
Hope that helps your posture. The above is an opinion and not a recommendation.
I have a slight lower back curve, also known as scoliosis will this help to straighten that? If not is there any exercises you could recommend that will help my scoliosis? My posture is awful. My shoulders are very forward if that makes sense, and I have a lower back arch too, thanks.
Author
Thanks for your question Charlotte. First, it’s normal to have a lower back arch. While you may have postural problems you are stressing about some things that are normal. As for your scoliosis, I find that many people have no pains with this. While it may cause cosmetic issues there are no health problems for many people unless the curves are more severe. At 40-45 degrees the curves can compromise heart and lung function. Unfortunately, these exercises and all exercises that I am aware of do not fix scoliosis, unless it’s a temporary pain related scoliosis. These exercises can decrease lower back arch if it is too exaggerated but you should check with your medical doctor to see if it actually is too much. If the arch is exaggerated then you should do the exercises.
Hope that helps your posture. The above is an opinion and not a recommendation.
My 10 year old daughter has quite a curved spine. She’s a swimmer so has very strong abs and glutes already (can plank for 6+mins. Pelvis seems to tilt forward when she stands coaches have said she needs to fix it. She’s slightly hyper mobile. Will the stretching exercises the first few in your article do the trick or should she do something else
Author
Thanks for your question Hilary. I would have her doing all the exercises. That’s my opinion. Hope that helps her posture.
Hi Dr Ken,
What if your promblem was the opposite? I have a curved in tailbone (I’m always tucking it in without noticing) and same goes for my shoulders- always curved forward towards my chest. I notice it really bad when I sleep. Will these exercises still help?
Thanks!
Author
You should do exercise #4 here. https://www.bodiempowerment.com/advanced-posture-exercises/
followed by exercise all the exercises in the “exercises to push your disc back into place” which are the top 4 exercises here. https://www.bodiempowerment.com/herniated-disc-part-2-the-best-exercises-for-your-herniated-disc/
Hope that helps your posture. If you have any more questions regarding your posture, I will do my best job here in Toronto to give you a good answer. The above is an opinion and not a recommendation.
I fell too shamed ..please tell me sir i am in big ..problem…because of that reason. Sirr how can i improvement my lordosis?i tell too shamed wheni stand in front of anyone
Author
Thanks for your question Akash. It sounds like you have a body image issue more than a postural problem. If you want to help your posture you should simply do the exercises. If you want to fix your body image you need to talk to a counsellor.
Hope that helps your posture. The above is an opinion and not a recommendation.
Hello Doctor, My mother in law’s upper back shoulder on the right side and Our family doctor advised that she has to do exercise for getting the relief. I search and found this article very helpful to me. Thank you for sharing the nice post.
Thanks for the reply doctor!I never did any sort of exercises.I’m really worried doctor as I’m an athlete!#many sleepless nights! Plz say me all those exercises I should do to straighten my spine and all those exercises to increase my height,6-10cms more!
Author
Rahul the exercises will not do that. I cannot help you as your expectations are not realistic and you don’t taken into account what I said. That’s my opinion.
Hi doctor!!I’m 19yo,whenever I lie down on the floor without any pillows,straight,my lower back never touches the ground. I’m even into athletics and I’m 5.7;N I really want to grow my height!!!
Can this be fixed,what to b done and can i increase my height.
Please reply.
Author
Thanks for your question Rahul. First, the exercises are not intended to increase your height. That is a side effect of doing the exercises. Your height does increase as you are getting a straighter spine. However, the height increase can be 1-2 cm. It might be no change if your spine is too stiff and uncorrectable.
Hope that helps your posture.
Hi,
Thank you so much for these great tips! I realize I have some abdominal and glute muscles to build, but whenever I do squats or planks, I feel my quads and lower back muscles take over, respectively. How can I tweak these exercises in order to make sure my abdominal and glutes are doing the work?
Thank you!
I’m no expert, if this happens, then I’m pretty sure since you’ve been sitting so much, you’re glutes have become inactive, and your quads have taken over as main stabilizer. Try chair kicks. Stand straight, feet close together but not touching, and hold on to the back of a chair. Take one leg, and kick it back, squeezing your glutes. Hold the squeeze for one second, then put your foot back, then repeat. Do 20 on each leg. At first your glutes may not feel much, but after 20 on each, your glutes will be awakened!
Author
Thanks for your input about posture and glut strengthening.
Author
Thanks for your question Riy. There is a difference between activation and strengthening. If you simply want strengthening than you simply need can do what Lirgo has said. If you want activation then you need these exercises. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRKvszxpSSs
Hope that helps your posture.
I don’t understand the sitting down one.. how do you sit down without arching your back inwards? do you really have to do the sitting down one?
Author
Thanks for your question Robbie. You can:
http://www.picquery.com/bridge-garden-picture-exercise_OMPWx*pONahCbW6ZlubzXbVMo3jymCZ3VKdw%7CxjDp14/V7LZHEV3YLDuCG7QAJnQawr2HP108JxBGGiD6H1jN1GRyga*jCwUaPqVYduh*QKFfW%7C3rR06bWdg518kzKCh6DUIFkwq9c78K64btSCQ0o%7CuHY01zVoUuiB*H4NgJEc9x2vm86pYk0Ei7zFFgkHWxMCwxOD%7C12Bxxm0*zsNgOKw/?first=1&cal=0.24675375469336672&cat=0.443163097199341&car=0.39944461827284106&cab=0.6490939044481054
Lie on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Push your hips into the air using your buttocks muscles and keep your back straight and in alignment with your hips. Avoid arching your back.
Squeeze glutes and lift hips towards the ceiling. Hold for 3 seconds then relax by dropping hips down 6 inches.
Tips
Avoid arching your back during this exercise.
Primary muscles Gluteus maximus
Hope that helps.
First off, I just want to say that I view the people who are asking for your email to personally help them with their posture issues somewhat insensible. You are very charitable for sharing this with us and I am thankful.
When I do these exercises, can I rotate the exercises in between reps? What I mean is do a rep of the plank, and then do a rep of child pose since it takes me about 30 seconds to rest my core before doing another plank. These two specific exercises feel complemented to if that matters. I would like to get these done as time efficiently as possible while not detracting away progress. What’s your opinion on this?
Author
Thanks for your question Lu. You can certainly rotate the exercises to make them time efficient. Hope that helps your posture.
Reading this article and seeing your feedback on comments has given me much hope!
I started having mild back pains about 3 months into my pregnancy last year. Each time I complained to my doctor, he brushed it off as a normal result of the pregnancy. It’s been 9 months since I had my baby, and the pain in my lower back has increased. I started seeing a physiotherapist about 4 weeks ago and it hasn’t helped much. The pain has all along been in my right lower back but about two weeks ago, I started having mild pains in my upper spine as well though it’s been on and off. My dad recently had a disc replacement surgery due to severe back pains, and my aunt and uncle also have similar pains. My late grandmum also had it so it seems it’s hereditary.
I was made to do a xray and the results said I had pronounced lumbar lordosis with low left convexity scoliosis. will consistency in these exercises help resolve the pains without need for surgery?
Author
Thanks for your question Abby. From what you have told me these exercises here will likely help you. https://www.bodiempowerment.com/spinal-stenosis-exercises-help-walk-longer/ While you don’t likely have stenosis the exercises are likely helpful in your case although not guaranteed. You should start off with the knee to chest exercises in the first picture of the link with the woman lying on her back with her knees to her chest.
Hope that helps your lower back pain. If you have any more questions from this downtown Toronto chiropractor I would be happy to answer them.
Thank you! I’ll check them out.
Author
You are welcome Abby.