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Stretching exercises can be effective for back pain prevention if they target the right soft tissues. The back, buttock, legs and areas surrounding the spine have muscles, ligaments and tendons that need to move. Any limitation to the movement of such tissues especially within the spinal column is known to cause or worsen back pains.
Several stretches can be often used to increase motion in the spine and soft tissues to minimize the risk of developing a back pain. The stretches may also be useful for long term relieve of existing back pain.
Knees to chest
One of the most effective stretches for the back is performed while lying on your back with your knees bent and heals on the floor. From that position, put your hands behind the knees and pull them slowly towards the chest. As you continue to do that, flex your head forward until you feel a comfortable stretch. A similar stretch can also be performed while lying on your back, but instead of pulling both the knees to the chest you only pull one knee at a time.
Hip stretch
The gluteus muscles are located in the hips and the buttocks area and they play an important role in supporting the lower back. They need to be stretched to improve spine flexibility, so the hip stretch is one of the stretches that can be performed for that purpose. You start performing it by standing straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Then you take a half-step back with your right leg, bend the left knee while keeping the right leg straight and shifting weight to the right, then moving forward to reach down the right leg until a stretch is felt in the outer hip.
Piriformis stretch
The piriformis muscle usually running through the buttocks may cause back pain and also leg pain if not often stretched enough. So the piriformis muscle stretch can help prevent or relieve back pain. It is performed while lying on the back, crossing one of your legs over the other, and then pulling the other knee below toward the chest until you feel a stretch in the buttock area.
Chin to chest
This stretch is for the neck and shoulder but helps prevent back pain too. When you have a stiff back, you are also likely going to have a stiff neck, so the chin to chest stretch can help. This is a simple stretch performed while sitting or standing straight, and then in a gentle manner moving the chin downwards to the chest until you feel a stretch in the back of your neck.
Ear to shoulder
This is yet another neck and shoulder stretch that is useful for back pain prevention. It targets your neck area below the ears and also the top of the shoulders. It is done by gently bending the neck towards the shoulder on one side as if to bring the ear and top of the shoulder into contact. You stop when you feel a stretch on the opposite side of the neck, then shift to stretch the other side of the neck too. River Of Life Wellness And Chiropractic In Traverse City Michigan.
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