How to Fix “Low Back” Pain (INSTANTLY!)

Low back pain is by far the most common source of discomfort we deal with. The irony is, a lot of times what we feel is rooted in the lower back is actually caused by muscles not in the back at all. In this video, I’m going to show you how the glute medius could be the real cause of your back pain and a quick exercise you can do to relieve your discomfort instantly. Once gone, I’m also going to show you a few additional exercises you can do to make sure your low back pain never returns.

The gluteus medius is sandwiched between the glute maximus and minimus and lies in and around the hip area. The role of the muscle is to abduct your hip or lift your leg out to the side in either standing or side lying and to keep your pelvis level whenever you take a step. Prolonged sitting during the day as well as an unequal weight distribution when standing are two of the most common reasons for this muscle to get weak and imbalanced.

You can quickly test to see if you have the makings of a weak glute medius by standing with your feet shoulder width apart and lifting one foot off the ground. First take note whether or not your opposite hip drops significantly. If it does, this would indicate a glute weakness on that side. You would repeat with the opposite foot as well. When you do this you would also want to see if you had to dramatically shift your weight to one side just to lift that foot off the ground. If you do, this would indicate that you have an unequal weight distribution when standing and it would be especially troublesome when squatting.

To fix this quickly, you will want to lay down on the ground with your affected side on top. If your right lower back was bothering you then you would want to lie on your left hip. From here, take your thumb and place it on the area most sore. You should feel that this is going to happen just to the outside of the bony prominence of your pelvis. From here, push to hold back the trigger point and start flossing your leg down and in front of you and then back and up. Your hip should be extended and then lifted into abduction towards the ceiling (being sure to point the toes down to keep the glute medius in focus). Do this about 10 times until you feel the tension in the muscle release.

Now, you can burn out the spasm in the trigger point by getting into the fully contracted position of the glute medius muscle and holding as long as you can. Generally, because this muscle is often very weak, this may not be any longer than 30 seconds to a minute. Once you cannot hold it any more you will stand up and you should notice an immediate relief of the pain on that side.

This is the quick but not permanent fix for this problem. Since the underlying cause is weakness in the gluteus medius muscle you will want to back this up with some exercises for your low back that you can do a few times a week. I show you three options for this. The first is the hip bump against the wall. The second is called the sack swinger, and can be done with a dog leash if you don’t have a formal dip belt. The last is actually doing the same movement that you did for the treatment, but this time as a strengthening exercise for your low back.

Whatever you do, just be sure you are consistent. You will also see that as you relieve the tension in this muscle that your squat performance improves as well. Your depth should be increased and any low back pain that you felt by doing the exercise should be gone since you will now be able to do them with equal force through each leg.

[drenalintherapy]

When I was 18 I thought I’ll never need this video . Today I am 21 and I’m taking notes

[clockwerk]

Well. That’s years of discomfort and trips to physiotherapists, Chiropractors and others solved by a 10 minute YouTube video. This is why the future is digital. Thank you Jeff.

[carmenflores]

I watched this video 6 years ago when I hurt my back. I couldn't sit, walk or lay down without feeling horrific pain. After a week i came across this video and i was so desperate. Decided to try and i screamed bloody murder from the pain but once i pushed through 90% of the pain was gone! Started the exercises and i felt completely healed within a few days. I eventually stopped doing the exercises a few years later. And here i am again in pain. 🥺 Thank you for doing what you do and saving me twice. 🥰

[Sincere_ScentsNJ]

At 28… I never knew this would be the most important video of my life right now

[clevelandsoftball]

This man fixed a major problem that had been bumming me out for weeks. I feel like I owe Jeff some money or something.

[bilaldiler]

Been suffering from low back pain for 7 years gone in minutes. God bless this guy from the bottom of my heart.

[jininepegoraro]

Thank you Jeff! After a week and a trip to the chiropractor, I was in so much pain to the point of tears and barely any sleep. I Woke up this a.m. desperate to get some relief. I've had this issue on and off for years and NEVER has there been anyone who alleviated the pain within minutes and gave me something I can do to fix it long term. Thank you thank you.

[S]

After 7 months visiting numerous doctors and therapy, I can’t believe this video relief almost all the pain in my lower back. Wish I saw this sooner. Thank U.

[genznancy]

I almost cried after doing that first exercise. So many years of discomfort and pain gone just like that. Thank you for making these videos free and accessible for people. 💛

[rebeccapano]

I’m not going to lie, I didn’t have high hopes since I’ve had this ongoing pain for so long now. I felt instant relief even during the exercise and when I stood up, I seriously could not believe it! I’m in literal tears 😭 THANK YOU!!!

[tonystark]

I heard from multiple people that I had pinched nerve but when you said it’s caused by sitting too much I knew you had it figured out. Thank you sir!!

[opusnumber]

It literally blows my mind how good you are at this. Literally every time I’m having some pain issue. I find one of your vids where you perfectly describe the problem. Then describe the fix. And it work! Every time.

[hershgoogle]

Once again Jeff knows exactly what my problem is.

[psy-lion]

1st excercise - 3:26 (just for a short relief)
2nd excercise - 6:10 (longterm relief)
3rd excercise - 7:20 (longterm relief)

[ctkdev]

Immediate relief! Did not expect this to work so well after tweaking my back doing squats yesterday. I WAS in a lot of discomfort for almost 24 hours and now I am only a little sore. Crazy. Thanks Jeff!

[PaganVegas]

Thank you!! This is a miracle. 57 year old male - I was almost unable to function for weeks due to back pain. Painkillers and muscle relaxants weren’t fixing anything.

After one session, I could stand up straight. After a few days, I’m almost pain-free.

I’ll be doing these exercises daily from now on. Thank you!!!

[josjawillems]

ugh, lower back pain can be such a pain in the ass

[seanbennet]

Jeff is a true fitness-bodybuilding icon! I have been following him since I was a teenager and he was the reason I started my fitness journey. His workout videos were inspiring to me. I gave my best and trained hard for years, but I was hardly getting any muscle, only to find out that my diet was nowhere near as it should’ve been. I have always eaten ‘just enough’ thinking it would be sufficient. My first real diet plan taught me the lesson. I remember getting it from Next Level Diet, and somehow it helped me gain a few pounds in my first month of using it. Surely it wasn't all pure muscle, but I was happier than ever. Thanks Jeff for everything you did for bodybuilding!!

[Spark_of_Knowledge]

best video i’ve ever found on this site. years of pain and pulling these muscles repeatedly, fixed. even when i’ve gone long periods without exercising or stretching since first using this exercise, they are still never a problem for me anymore. A+

[shaypiper]

I did years of Physical Therapy for my low back and am experienced with usually knowing how to fix my pain, until 5 days ago. I did all my rehab that usually would have helped relieve my pain. But nothing was working. Had a sharp pinching pain in my back for the last week leading up to a a volleyball tournament…. Last night I desperately was looking for anything that could help and came across this video. I was able to play in my tournament mostly pain free today because of this technique. Saving lives!! Thank you!