Lower back · Seated
Seated cat-cow
Slowly rounding and then gently arching the back while seated, moving the whole spine through an easy range.
- 6 to 8 slow repeats
- Movement
How to do it
- Sit toward the front of your chair with your feet flat and your hands on your knees.
- Breathing in, lift your chest, roll your pelvis forward and let your lower back arch a little.
- Breathing out, round your back, tuck your pelvis under and let your chin drop.
- Move slowly between the two.
How long
Six to eight slow repeats, about 40 seconds.
What you should feel
Easy movement through the back. Neither end of the movement should feel forced.
Stop if…
- Pain, numbness, tingling or pins and needles, or dizziness: stop and do not push through it.
- Pain in the lower back when arching: keep to the rounding half.
Variations
- Smaller. Move only the pelvis, rocking it forward and back.
- Standing. Stand with hands on thighs and knees bent, and round and lengthen the back the same way.
Common mistakes
- Rushing.
- Throwing the head back when arching.
- Holding the breath.
Use it in a routine
The stretch routine builder can play this with other lower back stretches, with a countdown for each side and a chime at every change. The stretch break timer adds stretches like it to a break after each work interval.
It is part of this ready-made routine: Lower back and hips, 5 minutes.
Sources
Written from published guidance by health services, physiotherapy and ergonomics bodies. Last reviewed .
- Stretching at the workstation (PDF), New Mexico State University Environmental Health and Safety
- Desk-based exercises, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (UK)
- Standing stretches for the workplace (video), Mayo Clinic (general stretching guidance)