I’m a personal trainer, I’ve destroyed two lumbar discs, gotten disc replacement surgery and currently working with a physiotherapist to get back on track. Back pain can have many causes. Anything from disc degeneration to muscle imbalances. If you’re not in pain that prevents you from doing them, there are a few exercises my physiotherapist has me doing.

• Glute bridge to activate your glutes. Underactive glutes can cause you to compensate with your lower back muscles, causing overuse.
• Prone cobra for strengthening your back muscles.
• Plank and side plank for strengthening your abdominals, obliques and deeper core muscles
• Lying hamstring stretch. Tight hamstrings, common in people who are sedentary or sit a lot for work, can cause referred lower back pain.
• Kneeling hip flexor stretch. Hip flexors are also commonly tight in people who are sedentary or sit a lot. Can cause a muscle imbalance with the posterior chain, altering the length-tension relationship in the muscles.

But if you have more severe lower back pain, go see a doctor and get an MRI if necessary to find out if there’s something going on with your discs. Don’t just try to work through pain and ignore the problem. That’s what I did, and it just made things worse. You may not necessarily need surgery, but it’s good to find the root cause so you know what options you have.