Hi All and WELCOME to the next installment of 'Stretch of the Week'.  Apologies for the lateness of this post - I had an extra Volunteer Shift at the Children's Hospital last week, and then this week was the EOFY, and I had to focus on my financial records for Tax Time.  In order to catch-up there are 2 stretches posted today (#'s 18 & 19) ... Enjoy!!!

For the immediate future we will continue with our focus on the lower body in preparation for this years Bridge to Brisbane.  Of course if you are training for a running event you should not restrict all your stretching to your legs and lower body, to perform at your best you need to keep your entire body stretched and supple.  I simply thought a brief focus on some varied and proven stretches for your low back and legs would help keep more of you running. Always Remember - thorough stretching is the key to continued performance ... fail to stretch properly and thoroughly, and you risk missing your event through pain that could have been avoided if you had stretched ... simple!

The stretch for today focuses mainly on the muscles of the lower back.  It looks very similar to the stretch from Week #13, but that stretc focuses on the muscles of the buttocks (the hip rotators).  You can certainly do both of these stretches while in the same starting position, but always remember that they are not the same, and they target different muscles.  As you do these stretches, the differences between them will become very obvious,  just be sure to remember which stretch you are doing and don't blend them together.  If you do blend them into 1 stretch you will end up doing neither stretch correctly or effectively and in essence just be wasting your time.
Don't ever under estimate the importance of stretching and the benefits it holds.

As far as technique goes for this stretch, it is important to move your legs/lower body evenly and balanced, just as if it were a solid block of wood twisting at your lumbar spine.  Move your knees and ankles as if they were glued together, tie them together if you need to.  And make your movement slower and more purposeful than just slapping your knees from 1 side to the other.

The muscles being stretched here run along your spine, and attach from the ribs to the pelvis.  Leaving your ribs flat against the floor while rotating yourn pelvis will create sufficient tension to stretch them effectively.  Be aware that it may or may not feel like a stretch, but it will almost certainly feel good.  This is another one of those stretches that you can hold as long as you like and just relax into the position and breather naturally.  Just make sure you do not move too quickly or sharply and all is good.

This stretch is beneficial to anyone recovering from a Lower Back Muscle Strain, a Lower Back Ligament Sprain, and even Iliotibial Band Syndrome.

Always remember that 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 "Neck Back and Core Stretches" wall chart by B. Walker.

Hi All and WELCOME to the next installment of 'Stretch of the Week'.  This week we return to the low back and hip rotator muscles for another stretch that is reasonably similar to Stretch of the Week #3.   Stretch #3 was a little more focussed on rotating the low back whereas this stretch has a slightly greater focus on the glutes, but at the end of the day they give near enough to the same end result.  You can interchange these stretches to add variety to your stretching regime, or simply choose which one works best for you or is easiest for you to do effectively.

This stretch is beneficial to anyone recovering from Lower Back Muscle Strain, Lower Back Ligament Sprain and even Iliotibial Band Syndrome.

Always remember that 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.

Hi All and welcome to another 'Stretch of the Week' !  This week I thought we should target our low back and hips because a lot of people carry tension through this region and it can cause a lot of stiffness and ache.  I like this stretch because it has effect on 2 regions (low back AND hip rotators) for the 1 stretch - what great value for effort is that.

A lot of people might be familiar with an achy pain through their glutes that is widely recognised and known as Sciatica.  Stretching your hip rotator muscles can relieve this pain in a lot of cases.  If you feel this pain, and stretching your hip rotator muscles does not relieve it, it may be because the muscular tension has been there so long that you may need to have a deep remedial massage to the region to release the muscles enough that you can stretch them more effectively for yourself.

This stretch focusses mainly on the Hip Rotator Group of muscles (commonly known as the Glutes, but actually consisting of 9 muscles in 2 layers), but also has effect on the lower Latissimus Dorsi (Lats) and the lower postural muscles of the back (Erector Spinae).  There are a few different stretches for the hip rotators, but this stretch combines with the lower back to give a more thorough regional stretch for the hase of your trunk (abdomen ... torso ... whatever you like to call it).

Technique:
Sit on the floor with your legs extended directly in front of your body.  Lift 1 leg, bending the knee, and place that foot on the other side of the leg that remains on the floor.  You should now have the foot of the bent leg on the outside of the knee of the leg on the floor.  At the same time, twist the lower trunk so you can position the outside of the opposite elbow against the outside of the bent knee.  Use your free arm to support your body by placing that hand on the floor slightly behind your hips.  This poosition should be comfortable and you should feel relaxed.  If you feel a stretch anywhere in your low back or through your glutes, just hold this position as your stretch - following the rules for safe stretching - and build up over time to the next step.

When you are comfortably in the starting position you can start the stretch remembering to feel for the stretch in 2 places - the low back and the glutes.  You should feel it almost evenly in both places, but you will probably notice the rotational stretch in the low back first.

Take a deep breath in, then as you exhale gently push your elbow into your knee, remembering to stay as relaxed and supple through your back and hips to allow a deeper stretch. Pushing your elbow against your knee should act as a lever for both regions, giving you further twist for the low back and also adeeper stretch through your glutes.

Hold this position for 15-20 seconds (don't hold your breath), then gently release and repeat on the other side.

Tip:
Try your very best not to arch or bend your back.  The spine should be in neutral for the stretch to be at it's safest and most effective for you.  What is a neutral spine?  A neutral spine is straight not bent, just as if you were standing.  If you hunch your spine,it will change the position of the muscles you are trying to stretch and therefore reduce the effectiveness of the stretch.  It may also lead to injury so be mindfull of having a straight spine.

Always remember to relax into your stretches - don't fight against the stretch (it may cause more harm than good), and always do each stretch 3 times, at least twice each day.

Taken from "Stretching Anatomy" by A.G.Nelson and J.Kokkonen - pp 78-79