Hi and Welcome to this week's stretch-of-the-Week. This week is the tricep stretch and should be used in conjunction with the bicep and pectoralis major stretches for a good overall upper arm flexibility. The tricep is a three-headed, two-jointed muscle as the name suggests. It crosses both the shoulder and the elbow, helping to extend the elbow. This stretch is relatively simple if you have previously done PNF stretching especially the bicep and pectoralis major stretches.

To do this stretch the stretcher should be prone with their head turned to the side. They need to flex their shoulder and elbow so their hand is as close to their scapula that is comfortable and pain free. Make sure to keep their arm close to their ear for the optimal stretching starting position. The partner should place their hand on the posterior of the stretchers elbow (underneath it) and the stretcher should begin to push against the partners hand. After this push the stretcher then relaxes and inhales deeply. On the exhale the stretcher should reach futher down their back, remembering to keep their arm close to their ear.

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 (blog #50).

Information obtained from McAtee, R. & Charland, J. (1993) Facilitated Stretching
Image from www.exrx.com