Lower back
Stretches for lower back pain you can do in bed
Every movement here is done lying on your back, so you can do it before you get up or before you sleep. Guidance favours staying active over resting in bed, and a few minutes of gentle movement is an easy place to start.
This isn’t a workout to push through. It watches how your body responds and adjusts as it goes.
Before you start
See a doctor rather than starting these if the pain followed a fall or accident, or comes with fever, unexplained weight loss, or weakness in a leg. Stop and speak to a clinician if a movement brings on sharp pain, dizziness, or symptoms that travel down an arm or a leg, and seek urgent care for any loss of bladder or bowel control or numbness around the saddle area.
This is the version everyone gets. Yours is different.
Start your first sessionWhy in bed works
The first movements of the day do not need a floor. Every movement here is done lying on your back, and a firm mattress works as well as a mat. On a very soft mattress keep the bridge small, because soft support makes the hips less steady.
It also removes the biggest obstacle on a stiff morning, which is getting down to the floor in the first place.
Move, do not force
The aim is movement in a few directions: knees drawn in, a small twist, a low lift of the hips, a stretch for the back of the leg. Nothing needs to be pulled hard, and nothing should travel down a leg. If one movement does that, skip it and carry on with the rest.
A start, not the whole plan
NHS guidance on back pain advises staying active rather than resting in bed, and NICE recommends exercise as the core of care. A few minutes in bed gets you moving. A full session adds the strength work for the back and hips that these gentle stretches leave out.
The sequence
- 1
One knee to chest · 30 to 60 seconds each side
The gentlest first move of the day: one knee in, the other leg resting.
- 2
Both knees to chest · 30 to 90 seconds
Both knees in, hands behind the thighs, breathing slowly while the lower back settles.
- 3
Small supine twist · 1 to 3 minutes
Knees tip a short way to each side and stop early. Rotation is usually the first range a day of sitting takes.
- 4
Mini bridge · 20 to 60 seconds
A low lift of the hips that wakes up the muscles behind them. On a soft mattress, keep it very small.
- 5
Reclined figure 4 · 1 to 3 minutes each side
The deep hip stretch lying down, for the hips that tighten around a stiff lower back.
- 6
Reclined hamstring stretch with a strap · 30 to 60 seconds each side
Length for the back of the leg while the bed keeps your pelvis and back supported. A belt or towel works as the strap.
Go in this order, slowly. If a movement sends pain down a leg, skip it and carry on with the rest.
That sequence was written for everyone with this. Yours would be built around your answers.
Start your first sessionWhat the research says
NICE NG59 recommends self-management and exercise for low back pain, encouraging people to continue with normal activities, and lets the type of exercise be chosen around the person's needs, preferences and capabilities.
The NHS back pain page advises staying active rather than resting in bed, and lists the symptoms that need emergency care rather than exercise: numbness or weakness in both legs, loss of feeling around the genitals or anus, and changes in bladder or bowel control.
Cochrane's 2021 review of 249 trials found exercise more effective than no treatment, usual care or placebo for chronic low back pain on moderate-certainty evidence, with only small differences between types of exercise. That supports choosing movements you will actually do, which is the case for starting in bed.
Sources
- 1NICE NG59, low back pain and sciatica in over 16s (2016, last updated 29 July 2026)
Provide tailored self-management advice including encouragement to continue with normal activities, and consider a group exercise programme (biomechanical, aerobic, mind-body or a combination) chosen around the person's needs, preferences and capabilities.
- 2NHS, back pain, nhs.uk conditions library
Lists as needing immediate emergency care back pain alongside numbness, tingling or weakness in both legs, loss of feeling around the genitals or anus, changes in bladder or bowel control, changes in genital sensation, chest pain, or onset after a serious accident, and advises staying active rather than resting in bed.
- 3Hayden et al., exercise therapy for chronic low back pain (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2021)
Across 249 trials, moderate-certainty evidence that exercise is more effective than no treatment, usual care or placebo for pain (about 15 points on a 100-point scale), with smaller effects on function and only small differences against other conservative treatments.
Common questions
Can I stretch my lower back in bed?
Yes. Every movement on this page is done lying on your back, and a firm mattress works as well as a floor. On a very soft mattress keep the bridge small, since soft support makes the hips less steady.
Is it better to rest in bed or move with back pain?
Move. NHS guidance advises staying active rather than resting in bed, and NICE recommends exercise and continuing normal activities. Gentle movement in bed is an easy way to start the day moving.
What is the best stretch for lower back pain in bed?
Knees to chest is the usual first move: one knee, then both, with your hands behind the thighs. Follow it with a small supine twist, and a mini bridge if your mattress is firm enough.
When should I not do these?
Get urgent care rather than exercising for numbness around the groin or back passage, changes in bladder or bowel control, or weakness in both legs. See a doctor first if the pain followed a fall or accident, or comes with fever or unexplained weight loss.
This is the version everyone gets. Yours is different.
Start your first sessionAlso called stretches for lower back pain in bed, lower back stretches in bed, before bed stretches for lower back pain, stretches in bed for back pain, morning back stretches in bed, lying down stretches for lower back pain. Movements are drawn from the clinically authored Vinys library. This page is general movement information, not medical advice, and it is not a diagnosis. How the method works.