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The Manual Touch Physical Therapy

Whole Body Approach

Reclaim movement, function and life
For information, call: 847-541-7600
or email: info@themanualtouch.com
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The 3 Best Exercises to Eliminate Back Pain

January 17, 2018 By Denise Schwartz Leave a Comment

To recover from or prevent back pain, you need to have a strong core. Your core consists of your abdominals, back, and hips. In this video, we’ll walk you through three core stabilization exercises to improve and maintain your core and back strength. 


To strengthen your back, you must strengthen your CORE

All three of the exercises we show you in the video above start from the following position:

  • First, wrap a fitness loop around your thighs
  • Then, lay down on your back on the floor or bed with your knees bent
  • Pull your knees out slightly on the fitness loop to engage your glutes
  • Engage your abs as instructed in our engaging abs video but be sure not to flatten your back
  • Keep your abs engaged throughout each of the following three exercises

Core stabilization exercise #1.

  • Raise your arms to 90 degrees holding a light weight such as 1-3# in each hand
  • Alternate raising your arms over your head and return back to 90

Core stabilization exercise #2.

  • Raise your arms to 90 degrees holding a light weight
  • Open your arms out to the side and bring back together

Core stabilization exercise #3.

  • Holding a weight about 1-5#, in both hands
  • Rest your hands at your hips
  • And Raise both arms overhead and back down to hips

When you feel ready, challenge yourself.

When you feel confident that you can keep your core stabilized with these exercises on the floor, you can advance the same exercises by doing them on a more challenging surface such as a foam roll or a swiss ball.

How often should you do these core exercises?

For best results, perform each exercise 10x each day.  After 2-8 weeks you should feel that you can stabilize your core well, have no back pain and are ready to be more challenged.  There is a big difference between 2 and 8 weeks, but that is because everybody is different and some people will create muscle memory faster than others. Just stick with it as long as it takes to see results. As your core gets stronger you will have less back pain as you move about your day. 

Give it a go. Your back will thank you!


Denise Schwartz,  CIMT, CAFS, CFGS, Owner

Is There a Solution for Lower Back Pain?

Are you struggling with lower back pain or sciatica? Is it keeping you from doing the activities you enjoy? If so, I’d like to invite you to our FREE workshop to learn the 3 main causes and how to heal naturally.

Click here to sign up for this free monthly workshop and learn how to get your life back.

Filed Under: Back, Neck, & Sciatica Pain, Health & Wellness Tagged With: back exercises, back pain, core exercises, core stabilization exercises, foam roll exercises, how to get rid of back pain, swiss ball exercises

About Denise Schwartz

Denise Schwartz, PT, IMT, C is the owner of The Manual Touch Physical Therapy. For over 30 years, she has been helping patients reduce pain and improve quality of life using a whole body approach. Denise specializes in chronic pain, spinal conditions, running/triathlon injuries and prevention, balance/vestibular disorders, functional exercise, kinesiotaping, and various non-traditional and traditional & manual therapies. Contact Denise at denise@themanualtouch.com

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Testimonials

I am a pediatric  physical  therapist  who  (unsuccessfully) tried to treat my own shoulder pain for more than 1 year.  By the time I started PT with Denise, my pain was significantly impacting both my personal and professional life. After 2 visits with Denise, the pain lessened and my function improved.  After 8 visits, I was nearly painfree.  Denise and I continue to work together to improve my overall movement and muscle strength.  My body feels better than it has in years.  I hav… Read more
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In the four months I’ve been going to PT at The Manual Touch my life has changed for the better.  I was in a lot of pain in my back and right leg – Denise gave me a regiment of exercises to do.  In doing my exercises I have reduced my pain level from 9+ to a 2/3 — I truly believe a miracle happened here.  I believe the name should be changed to The Magic Touch.
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Denise is the best! 4 weeks before my first marathon she suggested a couple minor tweaks to my form and it immediately improved my comfort and speed. My next run was a 5 miler, and I felt so good that I ran it almost a minute / mile faster. Best run all year. My dreaded 20 miler training run was yesterday, and I ran 15-30 seconds/mile faster, and stayed consistent the whole 20 miles. It gives me quite the confidence boost leading into the marathon. Thanks Denise!
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I came to Denise with pain in my neck and upper back from a fall earlier this year.  In addition, I also have chronic low back pain. Denise evaluated me and went right to work giving me exercises and hands on therapy to help me. Today is my eighth session and I am happy to report that my back pain has been relieved and my neck pain is slight and so much better.
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When I started to work with Denise I had shoulder and lower back pain.  She taught me various exercises along with posture that resulted in significant reduction in the pain.  Also, significantly improved my balance.  Her massage therapy greatly reduced the sensitivity to pressure that was caused by my open-heart surgery.
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I have had very significant scoliosis and osteoporosis for many years and I have gone to very “reputable’ physical therapists through the years, but never felt satisfied.  A few years ago, I went to my internist for a physical and mentioned I was having back pain.  He recommended that I start seeing Denise at The Manual Touch.  Due to my past experiences, I was skeptical regarding the success that I could have with another therapist.  From my first visit I could tell that Denise had a ve… Read more
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I needed help.  Denise and the manual touch provided the best customized, targeted therapy I could have found.  She put my torn knee back together, straightened my back, worked with me to regain the mobility I’d lost due to a neck injury, even had me doing dance steps I’d not done in 60 years.  I didn’t think I could do this; she showed me I could.
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I can honestly say that Denise was the first physical therapist to listen to my story.   She has demonstrated more patience and compassion than any other therapist that I’ve ever met. For the past 8 years, I have been symptomatic with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a rare genetic condition which affects the connective tissue throughout my body. As a result of this disorder I deal with ongoing severe acute and chronic pain and a variety of other rare overlapping conditions such as thoracic outl… Read more
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I felt much better after initial visit and even more so after the second.  I would not have believed I could see such an improvement in how I felt after only two sessions.
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I’m a pediatric physical therapist and I was taking a yoga teacher training.  My left shoulder and neck were getting progressively tighter and eventually pain was keeping me up at night.  I knew I wanted treatment from a very knowledgeable PT with good manual skills and someone who excelled at evaluating postural and functional issues.  Denise is that person and she corrected my biomechanics with exercises and manual therapy.  There are only a few PT’s that possess skills like Denise.  … Read more
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Our Mission


We believe all body systems and mental/emotional health are connected. We take a whole body approach to discover why patients are not healing and what were the initial causes of their current symptoms. 

Our mission is to use this whole body approach to help patients heal and overcome pain and limitations, resulting in improved quality of life. We also aim to promote wellness in our communities through ongoing education. 
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Testimonials

I have had very significant scoliosis and osteoporosis for many years and I have gone to very “reputable’ physical therapists through the years, but never felt satisfied.  A few years ago, I went to my internist for a physical and mentioned I wa… Read more
Michael is a 75 year old man seen for long standing IT band pain particularly while sleeping and climbing stairs. “Coming in I was in pain during the day.  With Denise’s help, I have less pain and more mobility.  Denise is terrific and very … Read more
Just a note to thank you for the time you spent with me Saturday in evaluating my running technique and body alignment.  Your suggestions are already making sense and having an early impact.  After our meeting, I went out for a 5K run and found you… Read more
Denise is such a talented PT. She is able to evaluate my movements and how I use my body in such detail. Her integrative manual therapy skills are unique and get to the root of my physical problems. Along with her functional movement exercises, her m… Read more
I am a pediatric  physical  therapist  who  (unsuccessfully) tried to treat my own shoulder pain for more than 1 year.  By the time I started PT with Denise, my pain was significantly impacting both my personal and professional life. After 2 … Read more
I walked in to PT with severe back and knee pain, I couldn’t even tie my own shoe.  After 45 minutes of Denise’s treatment, I could tie my own shoe with mild discomfort.
I had 2 total hip replacements and a knee replaced.  I found the exercises to be tremendously  helpful.  Denise educated   me  on  how  I need  to move my body to keep  it in alignment and she was most helpful and encouraging.
Denise Schwartz at Manual Touch is a marvelous diagnostician and therapist. During the past few years, I’ve sought out Denise’s care for various physical limitations. I am continually amazed by her ability to determine my discomfort’s cause as well a… Read more
Last winter our daughter Maddie had had several eye and ear infections, and all required topical and oral antibiotics.  These were instigated by a plugged tear duct.  A pediatric ophthalmologist said there was little chance the duct would open up o… Read more
With improved balance by utilizing Denise’s exercises on a daily basis, I now have reduced the risk of falling and possibly fracturing a bone.  I am grateful for Denise’s expertise. If you have a balance issue I recommend a visit to Denise.
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The information provided on The Manual Touch Physical Therapy website is for personal and noncommercial use only. The resources and content provided should be used for educational purposes only and not as a substitute for appropriate medical care. If you are experiencing pain or discomfort please seek medical attention.