Hi All and WELCOME to the next installment of 'Stretch of the Week'.  So it's friday, it's raining and it's been a long week for most of us, whilst driving home listening to the radio you stop at a traffic lights and BANG so guy in a toyota fails to stop in time and runs up the back of you. Whiplash and other injuries aquired during crash and accidents are painful so this week I have chosen some stretches to help release pressure from the neck, shoulders and back. 

These stretches can be done in the comfort and privacy of your own livingroom and can also help with the general tension and stress we all seem to carry around in our neck, shoulder and back. Using the kneeling back arch stretch and the kneeling back rotation stretch may make you look like your doing some sort of weird cat interperative dance but I asure you it will help.

These stretches are easy to do in a comfortable spot in the house or infront of the tv during the ads no one wants to watch. The kneeling back rotation stretch is capable of stretching the muscle from the inner shoulder to the sternum as well as the muscles spanning the abdomen. The kneeling back arch stretch flexes the gutteus maximus and the muscles running down the side of your abdomen. Incorporating this week stretches with week 1, 4 and 10 will further increase flexibility and decrease pain and of course if these doesn't help you can always see our friendly staff here at HANDS from HEAVEN.
Don't ever under estimate the importance of stretching and the benefits it holds.
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When starting this stretch it's important to have your hands flat on the ground and to position your knees about shoulder width apart in order to evenly distribute your wieght. When doing the back rotation stretch keep your hips facing forwards and rotateyour abdomen and trunk for optimal stretch.

The Kneeling back arch stretch is used for neck muscle strain, whiplash, cervical nerve stretch syndrome, wryneck, back muscle strain and back ligament strain

The Kneeling back rotation stretch is also used for back muscle strain and back ligament strain but also helps with abdominal muscle strain

Always rememberthat while stretching may be recommended to aid recovery out of injury, you should always be very careful when stretching through rehabilitation.  Your soft tissues are likely to be more vulnerable to re-injury if you stretch too much or too hard during this time.  Always check with your Health Care Professional who is guiding you through your recovery to make sure it is appropriate to start stretching, and please - ALWAYS FOLLOW THE RULES FOR SAFE STRETCHING (The first posting on this stretching blog).

Image taken from "Lower Body Stretches" wall chart by B. Walker.