I often say “tighten your core!” when we are doing exercises. This may be hard to do. If you have core muscles innervated, here is a simple exercise to start initiating those muscles to turn on.
Training your core muscles is important to decrease or prevent back pain. We had discussed tight hip flexors pulling on the lower spine, however you also need a strong core to hold the spine in place to limit pain. Training these abdominal muscles is a basic part of this.
We often need to practice these small movements and get that strength built so that our brains will learn to use these muscles without the conscious effort you have to make in the beginning.
Use your hand for feedback about whether you are getting the correct muscles to tighten. Watch this video for instructions.