The 5 Best Hot Tub Stretches For Back Pain

If you suffer from periodic or chronic back pain, your hot tub could be just what you need to gain some much-needed relief. Experts agree that a daily dose of warm water immersion, also known as hydrotherapy, can do your body good.

In fact, the Arthritis Foundation describes hydrotherapy as one of the most effective ways to treat musculoskeletal conditions such as low back pain. 

The Benefits of Water Stretching

Therapists around the globe are pairing hydrotherapy with stretching for pain relief. That’s because stretching in heated water allows your body to rely on the water’s buoyancy.

With your body bearing only 20 percent of its weight in the water, you gain a wider range of motion, making stretching easier and more effective. 

5 Best Stretches for Back Pain You Can Try Today

1. The Baby Stretch

• Stand in your hot tub with your feet flat on the floor.
• Grasp the edge of your spa and, once you’re comfortably balanced, push your hips back, tightening your abs and keeping your back flat.
• The goal is to push back until you feel the stretch through your upper body, back, and hips.
• Hold for at least 10 seconds and repeat twice.

2. Torso Twists

Strengthening your stomach can do a lot to alleviate low back pain. A great way to tone up your core is with torso twists.

• Sit or stand in your spa, arms tightly at your sides.
• Raise your lower arms up into a bicep curl.
• Hold that position, tighten your tummy and twist your torso slowly right and left.
• Hold each twist for three to five seconds and repeat 20 times or more on each side.

3. Hamstring Stretch

Lower back pain can also be exacerbated or even caused by tight leg muscles. Despite this stretch targeting your leg muscles, it can also offer relief to tense lower back and hip muscles.

• Once you’re sitting comfortably in your spa, stretch one leg out in front of you.
• Flex your foot and lean forward at the hips.
• Stretch your arm toward your toes, leaning forward to the point of tension, not discomfort.
• Hold for 10 seconds and then switch legs. 

4. Lateral Trunk Stretch

• Once you’re sitting in your spa, raise one arm over your head and bend slowly to the opposite side to the point of tension.
• Not only does this move stretch the muscles along your ribcage, but it also elongates your spine.
• Do the move on both sides holding each stretch for 20 seconds.
• This can be repeated up to three times.

5. Figure 4 Stretch

• Sit comfortably in your spa and cross one leg on top of the other, ankle resting on the opposite knee.
• Place one hand on the knee of the crossed leg and lean your upper body forward.
• Press on the crossed knee until you feel a stretch through your hip and backside.
• Hold the stretch for 20 seconds and repeat up to three times on each side.

Bonus tip: If you plan to add some stretching to your hot tub routine, be sure to first receive your doctor’s approval.

The Best Hot Tubs Near Me

If you’re interested in learning more about the health benefits a spa can offer, come see us at Backyards in Style. We’re Anaheim’s top supplier of high-quality Nordic Hot Tubs and Sundance® Spas.

Contact our showroom instead, where one of our experts would be more than happy to assist you.