Home / Exercises / Lower back and sitting
Lower back pain from sitting: 3 gentle floor moves
A stiff lower back after a long stretch of sitting is very common. These three moves are slow, small and done lying down, so they are a calm way to loosen up at the end of a workday. Each takes about a minute.
Short-term back pain usually improves on its own, and the NHS advises staying active and moving gently rather than resting for long. For long-lasting low back pain, a 2023 WHO guideline says structured exercise may be offered, and a 2021 Cochrane review of 249 trials found that exercise therapy may reduce pain compared with no treatment in chronic low back pain. Those studies cover structured programmes, not these three moves specifically, so use this page as a gentle starting point.
Pelvic tilt
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat.
- Gently flatten your lower back into the floor by tilting your pelvis up.
- Hold for 3 seconds, then release.
Dose: 10 repetitions, hold each for 3 seconds.
Tip: This is a small movement. Breathe normally and keep your glutes relaxed.
Lying knee rock
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat.
- Keeping your shoulders on the floor, let both knees fall gently to the right.
- Bring them back and let them fall to the left.
Dose: 8 repetitions.
Tip: Move slowly and only as far as feels comfortable.
Knee-to-chest
- Lie on your back with your knees bent.
- Hug one knee toward your chest with both hands. The other foot stays on the floor.
- Breathe slowly, then switch legs.
Dose: Hold about 20 seconds per leg.
Tip: Keep your head and shoulders relaxed on the floor.
Common mistakes
- Doing too much at once. A few calm reps beat a long session.
- Forcing the range. Everything here should feel easy and pain-free.
- Holding your breath. Breathe slowly through every move.
- Treating the floor moves as the only fix. Standing up and walking for a minute every so often helps too.
When to stop and see a professional
Stop and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist if you notice:
- numbness, tingling or weakness in an arm, hand, leg or foot
- pain that spreads (radiates) down an arm or leg
- pain that started after an accident, fall or other injury
- loss of bladder or bowel control, or numbness between your legs (seek emergency care)
- pain that keeps getting worse, wakes you at night, or comes with fever or unexplained weight loss
- pain, tingling or weakness in both legs (seek emergency care)
- back pain that is not improving after a few weeks
Do this with Mo, a 5-minute guided routine app
Mo the sloth guides short daily posture, neck and back exercises, with gentle reminders and a pain check-in. Learn more about Mo.
Related guides
- Tight hips from sitting: 3 gentle moves
- Cat-cow stretch for lower back stiffness
- Hip flexor stretch for people who sit all day
- Desk stretches you can do at work
- Open book stretch for upper back stiffness
- Bird dog exercise for your back
- Glute bridge for lower back
- Mo: Posture & Back Pain Relief app