Hi All and WELCOME to the next installment of 'Stretch of the Week'. Again with the standing stretches, this week it's the standing lateral side stretch. This is a great stretch if your experiencing stuffness through your core and feel as though u cannot fully rotate your truck to it's fullest extent. If your pair it with the stand back rotation stretch you will affectively stretch your abdominals.
 
The standing lateral side stretch, like the standing back rotation stretch focuses on the internal and external obliques and the qyadratus lumborum, but this stretch also includes the rotators and multifidus in your spine and  the illiocostalia lumborum.

Don't ever under estimate the importance of stretching and the benefits it holds.

Please remember to keep your hips in the same spot otherwise your just bobing from side to side and on that note dont "bob" to the side to try and stretch the muscles just that little bit further. A nice, smooth stretch through to the right and then to the left consentrating on the particular side your at that time is best. Don't rotate your shoulders towards the ground of the sky, just keep them facing forwards and in line with your feet.

The standing lateral side stretch can help lower back muscle strain, lower back ligament sprain and abdominal muscle strain.

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 "Upper Body Stretches" wall chart by B. Walker.

A trick to this stretch is to keep your back straight, also making sure your opposite leg to the stretch is used to stabilise your body. 

The Sitting knee-to-chest buttock stretch is useful when dealing with sports injuries such as lower back and muscle strain, lower back ligament sprain, hamstring strain and 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 the next installment of 'Stretch of the Week'. After a couple of weeks focusing on the back and shoulder problems i thought we would move down the body to the upper legs, just to mix it up. Often people stretch the quads and calves effectively but most people forget the glutes. It is infact a muscle and must be stretches for optimal use and maintainance. The lying knee-to-chest stretch targets the gluts perfectly so I urge you to, please, give it a go.

Lying on a flat surface slowly bring one leg up towards your chest and grip with your hands. Pull you leg as close to ur chest as you can get and you should feel the stretch adequately down that glute, from about half way down the your hamstring to the back of your pelvis.

The lying knee-to-chest stretch is best down on flat and even ground and should only be done one leg at a time. Remember to keep you back and non stretched leg flat on the ground for optimal stretch of the gluteus maxmus. This stretch will also engage you illiocostalis lumborum when your stablising your body for the stretch.
Don't ever under estimate the importance of stretching and the benefits it holds.

Avoid the temptation to raise your head and look at the stretch as this will put strain on your neck and other muscle in your back. Of course if you feel any pain from doing this stretch stop and seek medical advisen straight away. Oh and also remember to do it for BOTH legs, keeping the right and left sides of your body even has benefits in postural correction and muscle development.

The Lying knee-to-chest stretch is useful for lower back muscle strain, lower back ligament sprain and hamstring strain.

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 the next installment of 'Stretch of the Week'. This week I thought I would continue with the back and talk about a stretch that is excellent for the lower back. If your sitting around home and have tightness in your lower back or pretty much anyway up or down your back this stretch can relieve some of that tightness and make your world a better place; even if it's only for the time being.

This stretch requires a nice flat surface and start up on your hands and knees, drop your head down and lean back as far as your body will go, keeping your hands in their original position. If this stretch isn't enough for you, you can extend your arms out in front by creeping your hands forward. You should feel the main surface of your back and down your sides stretching. This is your latissimus dorsi which stretches all down you back, with the help of the smaller serratus anterior and the teres major muscles.

Repeating the stretch a few times throughout the day or maybe every morning when you wake up can really loosen your back and relieve the tightness that has built up and allow you to carry out the day easier.

Don't ever under estimate the importance of stretching and the benefits it holds.

I would recommend this stretch be done on flat ground and preferably soft ground as most of your weight will be put onto your knees and shins, having hard gorund can make this stretch uncomfortable. When getting out of the stretch go back to the hands and knee position your started with and try not to lift your head during the stretch.

The Kneeling reach forward stretch can help with lower back muscle strain and lower back ligament sprain.

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 "Upper Body Stretches" wall chart by B. Walker.

Hi All and WELCOME to the next installment of 'Stretch of the Week'.This week we've got the good old hammy stretch. It coming into summer and a lot of people are trying to get their beach body back but one of the most heart renching things in the amount of hamstrings that don't get stretched. So now there is no excuse.

Just put the heal of your leg on a chair, log, stump, step or anything, the more creative, the better. Keeping your leg straight lean forward and reach to touch your toes with both hands, bending at your hips. You should feel the stretch the entire length of the underside of your leg, if you don't stop, readjust and try again. This is stretching the semitendinous and semimembranosus muscles in your upper leg and the soleus and gastrocnemius in your lower legh.

Don't worry if you can't quite reach your toes, i can't either but persistance pays off and you will get more flexible the more you practice the exercise.
Don't ever under estimate the importance of stretching and the benefits it holds.

Whilst doing this stretch keep your legs straight and if you have pulled a hamstring recently do not over do it.Keep your back as straight as possible and bend at the hips reaching forward with both hands, not just one. It's important to practice this stretch on relatively flat ground to maintain balance.

The Standing leg-up hamstring stretch can help with lower back muscle strain, lower back ligament sprain, hamstring strain and calf strain.

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.