When your back is stiff and sore, NHS inform says getting moving bit by bit helps recovery more than staying still. The health information site run by NHS 24 in Scotland has a page, “Exercises to help with back pain”, with 5 exercises on video for back pain: knee rolls, pelvic tilts, the single knee hug and double knee hug, all lying down, and the cat camel on hands and knees. Keep pain within 0 to 5 out of 10, start with 2 to 3 repetitions and build to at most 2 sets of 15, hold stretches 20 to 30 seconds, and get advice if not better within 6 weeks. Here is the page as written.
1. Knee rolls, pelvic tilts, single knee hug, double knee hug, cat camel — 5 exercises, the first 4 lying down (a bed is fine).
2. Start with 2 to 3; 2 sets of 8, 2 to 3 times a day; at most 2 sets of 15. Stretches 20 to 30 seconds.
3. Pain within 0 to 5; stop if worse or new pain; advice if not better within 6 weeks.
First — NHS inform
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Who for | Useful for people with a new back problem. If you’ve been diagnosed with a back condition or had recent surgery, follow your healthcare professional’s advice | After surgery, your clinician comes before this article |
| Why | Getting movement and strength back matters — it supports tissue healing and gets you moving again. You may not return to usual levels at once and progress may start slowly, but a gradual return to normal activities gives the best short and long term results | — |
| At first | Listen to your pain, especially early on. Symptoms may increase slightly at first but should ease with time; regular practice can improve movement in the back. If there is discomfort, medication prescribed by a GP or pharmacist may help you keep exercising | In Korea, ask a doctor or pharmacist (our gloss) |
| Safety | The exercises in the videos are suitable for most people. In a safe place, only if you feel well enough. If you start to feel unwell, stop at once | First time? The page says to read the pain and repetition guidance first |
The 5 back pain exercises — NHS inform
| Exercise (video title) | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Knee rolls (video 0:28) | Lying down; a bed is a good place. Rolling the knees to one side and back to the other is one repetition. Start with your knees pointing to the ceiling, slowly roll them to the right, hold a few seconds, bring them back up, then the other side | “A few seconds” has no number in the source |
| 2. Pelvic tilts (0:19) | Lying down. Tilting the hips up and down is one repetition. On your back, both hands on your hips. Slowly tilt your hips towards the bed to flatten your back into the bed. Hold 2 seconds, then tilt the other way — the space between your lower back and the bed should increase. Relax before repeating | — |
| 3. Single knee hug (0:27) | Lying down. Leg up to the chest and back down is one repetition. On your back, bring one knee towards your chest, the other knee pointing to the ceiling. Hold a few seconds, then slowly release | — |
| 4. Double knee hug (0:24) | Lying down. Knees up to the chest and back down is one repetition. On your back, slowly bring both knees towards your chest. Hands over the knees let you feel the stretch a little deeper. Slowly release | The one move where the page itself mentions a stretch |
| 5. Cat camel (0:26) | Start on hands and knees. Curling the back in and out is one repetition. Knees on the floor or bed a little apart, back straight, hands in front in line with your shoulders. Gently pull your spine upwards with your chin tilted towards the chest. Slowly uncurl, then push your chest towards the ground and tilt your head gently to the ceiling. Hold, then release | No hold time given |
The names are the page’s video titles and the times are video lengths. All five videos come to 124 seconds (2 minutes 4 seconds) (our sum). The written instructions follow the videos in order, and we paired them that way.
So the first 4 are done lying down (the page suggests a bed), and only the cat camel is on hands and knees. The only hold time given as a number is 2 seconds for the pelvic tilt; the rest say “a few seconds”. None of the five videos is labelled a stretch, but the page includes the stretching guidance (20 to 30 seconds) and the double knee hug mentions feeling the stretch.
How much pain is OK — NHS inform
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Pain score | Rate pain out of 10 (0 = none, 10 = the worst you’ve had). 0 to 3 minimal, 4 to 5 acceptable, 6 to 10 excessive | — |
| During | Keep pain within 0 to 5. If it goes above — fewer repetitions, slower movement, more rest between movements | Changing one of the three may be enough (our reading) |
| After | Exercise shouldn’t make your existing back pain worse overall. New exercises can cause short-term muscle pain while the body adapts, but it should ease quickly and be no worse the morning after | The next morning is the test |
How many — NHS inform
Movement and strengthening
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Start | New exercises: 2 to 3 repetitions at a time | — |
| Often | Small amounts through the day — for example every hour | — |
| Build | As it gets easier and if you feel able, add 1 or 2 repetitions every few days | “A few days” has no number in the source |
| Sets | When you can do more, break into sets — more at a time, less often. For example: 8 repetitions → rest a minute → another set of 8, 2 to 3 times a day | 2 sets of 8 = 16 at a time; 2 to 3 times a day = 32 to 48 (our sum) |
| Aim | Increase over time to a maximum of 2 sets of 15 — repeating strengthens muscles and tendons | 30 at a time is the ceiling (our sum) |
Stretching
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| When | Once a short hold is comfortable, hold longer as a stretch — over time this can improve your range of movement | — |
| Feel | A gentle stretch. It shouldn’t be sore or uncomfortable | — |
| Time | Hold 20 to 30 seconds if possible | 2 to 3 sets of 20 to 30 seconds = 40 to 90 seconds at a time (our sum) |
| Sets | Do sets — for example 2 to 3 sets of stretches, 2 to 3 times a day | — |
| Change | As you stretch more, range improves and you can stretch further | — |
In numbers, the page’s example is 2 sets of 8 = 16 at a time, or 32 to 48 a day at 2 to 3 sessions. The target of 2 sets of 15 is 30 at a time. 2 to 3 sets of 20 to 30 seconds of stretching is 40 to 90 seconds at a time (all our sums). You can do all the exercises together, or start with one or two and add more. Unlike the hip and elbow pages, the set description here doesn’t include the line that this builds strength.
To count how many days it takes to reach your target from a starting number and step, use the planner in how to build up exercise when it hurts.
Three sums — our example
| Example (ours) | Up to 15 in a set | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Start at 2, add 1 every 3 days | 13 steps → 39 days | Our example, taking “a few days” as 3 |
| Start at 3, add 2 every 2 days | 6 steps → 12 days | 3 → 5 → … → 13 → 15 |
| The 6-week mark | 6 weeks = 42 days | The first example (39 days) reaches 15 within 6 weeks |
When to stop and when to get advice — NHS inform
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Stop | Stop if exercises make symptoms worse or cause new pain | — |
| Advice | If your back pain worsens while following this advice, talk to a healthcare professional | In Korea, orthopaedics or rehabilitation medicine (our gloss) |
| 6 weeks | If it hasn’t improved within 6 weeks, talk to a healthcare professional | 6 weeks = 42 days (our sum) |
How long back pain lasts and when to get help straight away are in back pain (NHS); pain running from the buttock down the leg is in sciatica.
Checklist
- ☐ A new back problem? After a diagnosis or surgery, your clinician first
- ☐ 1 to 4 lying down; 5 on hands and knees, hands in line with shoulders
- ☐ Pelvic tilt: hold 2 seconds
- ☐ Start at 2 to 3; sets of 8 → a minute’s rest → 8, 2 to 3 times a day; at most 2 sets of 15
- ☐ Stretches 20 to 30 seconds, never sore
- ☐ Pain 0 to 5; stop if worse; advice if not better within 6 weeks
Questions that remain
Shouldn’t I rest in bed with a bad back?
The page says that getting movement and strength back supports healing, and that a gradual return to normal activities gives the best short and long term results — only when you feel well enough, and within pain 0 to 5.
What about cervical spondylosis?
NHS inform has a separate exercise page for cervical spondylosis. We didn’t read it this time; if you’ve been diagnosed, follow that or your clinician. General neck exercises are in neck exercises (NHS inform).
Sources
- NHS inform (NHS 24, Scotland) — Exercises for back pain (Exercises to help with back pain) — source (no update date shown on the page; checked 29 October 2026). Who it is for, why, at first, safety; 5 exercises (knee rolls, pelvic tilts, single and double knee hug, cat camel) with video lengths and written steps; the 0 to 10 scale and 0 to 5; pain after; 2 to 3, every hour, 1 or 2 every few days; the set example (8, a minute, 8, 2 to 3 times a day); at most 2 sets of 15; stretches 20 to 30 seconds, 2 to 3 sets, 2 to 3 times a day; when to stop; 6 weeks.
- Not read. The 5 videos (titles, lengths and the page’s written steps only); the self-management page (linked only); the site’s cervical spondylosis exercise page.
- What we added. The “worth noting” column, “our sum” and “our example”, and the Korean care gloss.
Where to check further
- Orthopaedics or rehabilitation medicine — no better after 6 weeks, or worse.
- A physiotherapist — form and how many.
Written on 29 October 2026. The content is from NHS inform; the glosses are ours.
