Everyone experiences some sort of lower back pain or discomfort. It’s best not to ignore these common but sometimes debilitating aches and pains. Your lower back consists of five vertebrae, labeled L1 through L5, and your sacrum has five bones, labeled S1 through S5. Also known as your lumbosacral joint, your L5-S1 is the fifth vertebra of your lower back, which sits on top of the first bone in your sacrum.
Long story short: Your L5-S1 is a joint in your lower back. As with the other joints in your lumbar spine, your L5-S1 can experience compression and strain, which can cause uncomfortable symptoms. Read on to learn some common causes of discomfort and a few lower back stretches that may offer some relief once a healthcare professional has approved them.
What Typically Damages Your L5-S1?
Before we discuss exercises to relieve lower back pain, it is crucial to explain what causes this pain.
1. Age-Related Cartilage Loss
Like the other joints in your body, the joints in your lower back are subject to age-related cartilage loss, also known as osteoarthritis. This is a common condition that develops gradually during the aging process.
Although osteoarthritis is incurable, your doctor can recommend interventions like physical therapy, prescribed medications, or surgical procedures to improve pain, mobility, and spinal stability.
2. Herniated Disk
The disks in your spine are like rubbery cushions that sit between your vertebrae. Also known as a slipped disk or ruptured disk, a herniated disk occurs when one of these disks slips out of place because of aging-related changes or trauma.
Over time, these disks lose water and become less flexible, meaning the space between the vertebrae narrows. These are most common in the lower back and can cause pain or numbness.
3. Joint Damage
The facet joints that make up your lower back often experience significant stress and compression because of poor posture and overuse. This can lead to gradual joint damage or cartilage loss, often resulting in stiffness, spasms, inflammation, and pain.
4. Muscle Injury
In some cases, your lower back pain may not be due to direct damage to the lumbosacral joint, but could result from injury to the surrounding muscles known as lumbar strain. If you lift a heavy weight or suddenly twist your lower back you may cause yourself muscle pain or injury, especially if you have a weak core.
Why Exercises Shouldn’t Be Your First Choice for L5-S1 Pain
Unfortunately, L5-S1 pain (and most other lower back pains) do not usually heal themselves, especially after a few weeks of consistent aches, according to David Wells-Roth, MD, a neurosurgeon specializing in minimally invasive spinal surgery.
“If [your pain] persists, it is probably not muscular, and you should see a specialist in order to figure out a solution and what is wrong, so you don’t create further injury,” he says.
Generally Safe L5-S1 Exercises to Try
Before you try any exercises or stretches for your lower back, it’s best to consult a medical professional. While these exercises are generally safe, in some cases, stretching can worsen a herniated disc, according to Dr. Wells-Roth.
“If you have a herniated disc and some of the disc is extruded out onto the nerve, you can extrude it even more from the pressure and ultimately make it worse,” he says.
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