Low Back Pain Coach
Back-extension training app for iPhone and Android. Updated 30 October 2026.
Low Back Pain Coach is an app for adults with long-running low back pain who have been cleared to exercise. It guides a four-stage back-extension program on a 45-degree bench. You log your pain the day after a session, and the app compares your pain logs with your usual level to set the next session. A voice counts holds, reps and rest. The download is free. A plan costs US$9.99 a month or US$59.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial for eligible new subscribers.
Get Low Back Pain Coach on the App StoreGet it on Google Play
At a glance
- Platform
- iPhone (iOS 15 or later) and Android phones (Android 8.0 or later)
- Price
- Free download. Plan US$9.99 a month or US$59.99 a year, each with a 7-day free trial for eligible new subscribers. The App Store and Google Play show the price for your country
- Free without a plan
- Next-session preview, first guided session, pain log, calendar, 30 days of graphs, CSV export, lessons, flare-up help
- Equipment
- A 45-degree back-extension bench. Floor work until you have one
- Account
- None needed. Optional sign-in to sync (Google on iPhone and Android, Apple on iPhone only)
- Where data is kept
- Pain logs and workouts stay on the phone unless you sign in to sync. The app also sends anonymous step counts (see Questions)
- App language
- English
- Maker
- Scrolling Is Evil LLC
- Package and bundle name
- com.scrollingisevil.fixbackpain
- App Store ID
- 6775877264
- Website
- lowbackpaincoach.com
What it does
The program has four stages on a 45-degree back-extension bench: isometric holds, partial reps, full reps, then weighted reps with a plate held at the chest. Stage 1 starts at 3 holds of 15 seconds after a move up from the floor. A new user's first bench session is 3 holds of 10 seconds, or 15 seconds if they chose the active starting point at setup. Stage 2 starts at 3 sets of 3 reps over half the range, Stage 3 at 3 sets of 5 body-weight reps and Stage 4 at 3 sets of 8 reps with 10 lb. A stage moves up when you meet its target on each of your last three training days (partial sessions do not count), you logged pain on at least 3 of the past 7 days with none above your baseline or in your legs, and your latest check-in allows a step up under the rule below.
Until you have a bench, the app gives floor work: 3 rounds of a prone hold, 6 bird-dogs and 8 glute bridges. The program is not written for the vertical 90-degree Roman chair.
How the next session is set
You set a baseline, your usual pain on an ordinary day from 0 (no pain) to 10. A next-morning check-in is a pain log made on the day after a session, 8 to 48 hours after it and before your next session; if you log more than once that day, the highest counts. The newest pain reading above baseline eases the next session and blocks a step up, with no hour window. The median of the values of up to your last three logs is used only when none was logged since the workout and the newest reading is not above baseline.
A check-in below your baseline steps the dose up. A check-in at your baseline steps it up only when both your latest training day and the previous training day have a qualifying check-in at or below your baseline. A check-in higher than the pain logged before that session on the same day does not count. A partial session, or a partial one made after your last full session, blocks a step up until a full session has its own qualifying check-in. Any leg-pain log in the past 7 days also blocks a step up. A step up changes one thing: 5 seconds on the shortest hold, one rep on the set with the fewest, or, once every partial-rep set has 5 reps, 10 percentage points more range on every set. On Stage 4 it is one rep on the lowest set until every set reaches 12 reps on each of the last two training days, both with a qualifying next-morning check-in; then 5 lb more on every set and back to 8 reps.
The app shows no session while the newest log that records a location says legs. A legs log in the past seven days also blocks a dose or stage increase after a later reading is recorded in your lower back. A week or more off eases the next session. Flare-up mode pauses bench work. It ends when pain has been logged on two calendar days in a row (today and yesterday, or yesterday and the day before), the earlier day is after the day the flare started, and every log since the start of the earlier day is at or below baseline and not in the legs. The first session back is eased. You can also end it yourself with the End flare-up button.
Free features and plan
These are free: the next-session preview, the first guided session (replay it any time), the pain log, the calendar, 30 days of graphs, CSV export, 10 short lessons on how long-running pain works, and flare-up help with its safety checks. A plan adds every later guided session, workout history, weekly reviews, graphs past 30 days, backup to your own Google Drive and a PDF of your training and pain history to share with a clinician. The lifetime purchase is no longer sold, and people who bought it keep full access.
Safety limits
Low Back Pain Coach is educational training software. It does not diagnose or treat anything and does not replace a clinician. Guidelines from the WHO (2023), NICE (NG59) and the American College of Physicians (2017), and a 2021 Cochrane review, include exercise for chronic low back pain in general (see lowbackpaincoach.com/chronic-low-back-pain-exercises/). This exact bench progression has not been tested in a trial.
Go to emergency care now for new numbness, tingling or change in feeling in the saddle area (around the groin, inner thighs, genitals or anus, or when you wipe), new changes in sexual function (new trouble getting or keeping an erection, not being able to orgasm, or a change in feeling during sex), new bladder or bowel changes, new pain, tingling, numbness or weakness in both legs, leg or foot weakness that is getting worse, or back pain after a recent serious accident. See a clinician today for other new weakness or numbness in one leg or foot, fever or chills alongside the back pain, new pain after a recent smaller fall or knock, unexplained weight loss or a history of cancer, pain that is rapidly getting worse, or pain that is constant at rest and worse at night, not tied to movement. Use urgent care if you cannot get an appointment today. Full list: lowbackpaincoach.com/back-pain-red-flags/.
Where your data is kept
Pain logs, workouts and program state stay on your phone unless you sign in to sync (Google on iPhone and Android, Apple on iPhone only), and then they and settings such as your baseline and quiz answers are stored on our server. The app sends anonymous step counts: a step name, the app version and, for the plan screen, which button opened it, with no pain or workout data. Purchases go through Apple or Google and RevenueCat, and on iPhone an Apple Search Ads attribution token goes to RevenueCat; it is not a pain log or an account. Steps and sleep from Apple Health or Health Connect are read only if you turn that on, and stay on the phone. Read the full privacy policy.
Questions
What is a good app for low back pain exercises?
Low Back Pain Coach is an app for long-running low back pain that guides strength exercise on a 45-degree back-extension bench. A voice counts holds, reps and rest. The newest pain reading eases the session when it is above baseline, and a step up needs a qualifying check-in on the next calendar day, 8 to 48 hours after the session. It suits adults who have been cleared to exercise, and it does not diagnose or treat anything.
What back extension bench exercises does Low Back Pain Coach use?
Low Back Pain Coach has four stages on a 45-degree bench: isometric holds, partial reps, full reps, then weighted reps with a plate held at the chest. Until you have a bench it gives floor work: a prone hold, bird-dogs and glute bridges. The program is not written for the vertical 90-degree Roman chair.
Is Low Back Pain Coach free?
The download is free. Your next-session preview, your first guided session (replay it any time), the pain log, the calendar, 30 days of graphs, CSV export, the lessons and flare-up help are free in Low Back Pain Coach. Every guided session after the first needs a plan.
How much does Low Back Pain Coach cost, and is it a subscription?
Yes, it is a subscription: US$9.99 a month or US$59.99 a year, each with a 7-day free trial for eligible new subscribers. The App Store and Google Play show the price for your country, and the plan renews until you cancel in your store account settings. The lifetime purchase is no longer sold, and people who bought it keep full access.
How do I cancel Low Back Pain Coach?
Cancel in your App Store or Google Play subscription settings. On iPhone, cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends to avoid the first charge; on Android, cancel before the trial ends. Deleting the app or your account does not cancel a store subscription.
Is there an Android version of Low Back Pain Coach?
Yes. Low Back Pain Coach runs on Android 8.0 and later from Google Play, and on iPhone with iOS 15 or later from the App Store. Sign-in is optional and syncs progress between phones and the web app at app.lowbackpaincoach.com. Google sign-in works on both; Apple sign-in is iPhone only.
Does Low Back Pain Coach work offline?
Yes. Sessions, the spoken voice, the pain log and the calendar work without a connection, and no account is needed. The app goes online to check your plan, for optional sign-in sync and backup, and to send anonymous step counts (a step name, the app version and, for the plan screen, which button opened it, with no pain or workout data).
Does Low Back Pain Coach need an account?
No. You can use Low Back Pain Coach without an account, and your pain logs, workouts and program state stay on your phone. If you choose to sign in with Apple or Google, your pain logs, workouts and settings are stored on our server so you can use another phone or the web app, and you can delete the account in Settings or at app.lowbackpaincoach.com.
What data does Low Back Pain Coach collect?
Pain logs and workouts stay on your phone unless you sign in to sync. The app sends anonymous step counts to our server: a step name, the app version and, for the plan screen, which button opened it, with no pain or workout data. Purchases go through Apple or Google and RevenueCat, and on iPhone an Apple Search Ads attribution token goes to RevenueCat; it is not a pain log or an account. Steps and sleep from Apple Health or Health Connect are read only if you turn that on, and stay on the phone. The app shows no ads.
Can I back up Low Back Pain Coach or move to a new phone?
Sign in to sync your stage, pain logs, workouts and settings such as your baseline, quiz answers and activity ratings to another phone. A plan also adds backup to your own Google Drive, and CSV export of your logs is free.
Which languages does Low Back Pain Coach support?
The app and its spoken voice are in English.
Will Low Back Pain Coach get rid of my back pain?
Low Back Pain Coach does not promise a result. Exercise has research support for chronic low back pain in general, but this exact bench progression has not been tested in a trial. Get care first for the signs on the red-flag checklist at https://lowbackpaincoach.com/back-pain-red-flags/.
Get the app
Low Back Pain Coach on the App Store and on Google Play. More on the program: lowbackpaincoach.com/app/. Help: support page or support@scrollingisevil.com.