My Favorite Low Back Pain Rehab Exercises (From a Physical Therapist)
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In today's video we go over My Favorite Low Back Pain Rehab Exercises (From a Physical Therapist):
Struggling to progress your low back pain patients beyond basic core work — or unsure which exercises to prescribe at each stage of rehab? This video is your go-to clinical reference.
Whether you're treating a post-op patient who can barely walk in the door or a powerlifter who just wants to get back under the bar, having a full exercise toolbox for low back rehab is non-negotiable. In this video, I'll break down my favorite low back rehab exercises — organized by irritability level — so you can always match the right exercise to the right patient.
What You'll Learn:
How to select exercises based on tissue irritability, patient goals & equipment availability
Table-level exercises for your most irritable patients (post-op, acute flare-ups)
Progressive loading strategies from bird dogs all the way to barbell good mornings
Why hip thrusts and banded pull-throughs are often better tolerated than deadlifts — and the biomechanical reason why
How to modify squats and deadlifts to reduce spinal strain while keeping athletes training
When (and why) to lean on single-leg exercises as a rehab bridge
Exercises Covered: Cat-Cow · Bird Dog · Glute Bridge · Superman · Hip Thrust · Single-Leg Hip Thrust · 45° Back Extension · Banded Pull-Through · Cable Pull-Through · Dumbbell RDL · Barbell RDL · Trap Bar Deadlift · Sumo Deadlift · Good Morning Progressions · Squat Progressions · Single-Leg Exercises
Timeline:
- 0:00 – Intro
- 0:13 – Why Exercise Selection Matters for Low Back Pain
- 1:00 – Exercise Selection: Irritability, Goals & Equipment
- 2:00 – Table Exercises for Highly Irritable Patients
- 2:13 – Cat-Cow
- 2:37 – Bird Dog Progressions
- 3:05 – Glute Bridge
- 3:45 – Superman Progressions
- 4:21–Hip Thrust – Setup & Progressions
- 5:51– Single-Leg Hip Thrust
- 8:10 – 45-Degree Back Extension Progressions
- 9:52 – Banded Pull-Through
- 11:15 – Cable Pull-Through
- 11:42 – Dumbbell RDL
- 12:31 – Barbell RDL & Partial ROM Progressions
- 13:47 – Trap Bar Deadlift (High vs. Low Handle)
- 15:03 – Sumo Deadlift
- 16:12 – Good Morning Progressions
- 19:04 – Squat Progressions (Counterbalance → Back Squat)
- 21:19 – Single-Leg Exercises as a Rehab Bridge
- 22:37 – Summary
Don't be a baby...
- Dan Pope DPT,OCS,CSCS
Show Notes / Relevant Articles:
- FPF Mini Course - 7 Reasons Why Injuries Happen in the Gym and What to do About it
- Lower Extremity Reflex Testing: Guide for Physical Therapists [Disc Bulge, Herniation Diagnosis]
- Myotome Testing of the Lower Extremity: Peripheral Neurological Examination
- How I Evaluate Radicular Low Back Pain from a Herniated Disc [Physical Therapy Guide]
- Physical Therapy Treatment for Radicular Lower Back Pain During Squats, Deadlifts and Olympic Lifts:
- Disc Herniation and Radicular Low Back Pain EVIDENCE BASED GUIDE for Physical Therapists
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Thank you!
Dan Pope DPT, OCS, CSCS
References:
- Rodríguez-Domínguez ÁJ, Moral-Munoz JA, Guzmán-Gómez JD, Valero-Ortiz J, González-Gómez L, Cardellat-González M. Does resistance training improve pain intensity, quality of life, and disability in people with chronic nonspecific low back pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Disabil Rehabil. 2026 Mar;48(6):1532-1545. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2025.2566275. Epub 2025 Oct 9. PMID: 41065407.