HI and welcome to the final week of PNF stretches and the final stretch-of-the-week for the year. Our last stretch is focusing on the latissimus dorsi muscles which help with extension and flexion of the arm and shoulder. It forms part of the posterior axillary border and is used in many activities in which the arm moves from overhead downwards such as swimming and rock climbing. This particular stretch mimics the 'lat pull down' action used to strengthen the lats and increase the range of motion in flexion and external rotation of the humerus.

To do this stertch the stretcher is prone with their arms outstretched and externally rotated, like in a diving position. This is the lats end of range position. The partner grasps the stretchers wrists and directs the stretcher to pull against the partner internally rotating their arms and engaging the lats bilaterally. After this isometric pull the stretcher should relax and breathe in deeply. On the exhale the stretcher should attempt to reach further forward and rotate their arms more laterally in order to deepen the stretch.

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 http://anatomy.askthetrainer.com/latissimus-dorsi-muscle.html