Your Daily Stretch Routine

Hydrate before, during & after exercise.

Do you have difficulty stooping down, getting up off the floor, or up out of bed? Do activities that used to feel fluid, now feel awkward?

Tight muscles can contribute to joint pain, back pain, neck pain, and overall stiffness. This, in turn, causes general dis-ease of movement.

Can stretching help? You betcha!

A safe flexibility routine, with correct techniques, lengthens muscles, increases joint health, and actually keeps muscles stronger. All allowing you to move free and easy!

But most folks stretch incorrectly! Before embarking on the following stretch routine, please read:

Stretch Your Muscles Properly

Heed These Warnings!

Prolonged rounding out of your lower back can be harmful to your intervertebral discs and cause lower back pain.
Twisting or torquing in your lower back can be harmful to your intervertebral discs and cause lower back pain.
Twisting or torquing in your pelvic region can cause slight subluxations to your sacroiliac joints, and pain in your lower back and sacral area.
Stretching too fast, too far, when your muscles are cold, or bouncing in a stretch can cause your muscles to tear.

In our experience and that of our clientele, daily stretching goes a long way to staying limber and feeling fantastic. In only twenty-five minutes a day you can complete a full body flexibility routine and maintain a youthful body.

Adductors Stretch

You should feel this stretch on the inside of your thighs.

Seated on the floor with a straight back.
Bend your knees, grasp your feet (thumbs on the instep), and pull them toward you.
Allow your knees to fall open.
Don’t worry if your knees aren’t very close to the ground. As long as you feel a slight stretch on the inside of your thighs.
Flexible people will be able to lean forward at the hip while maintaining a straight back. Apply gentle downward pressure on your legs with your elbows (if desired).

Your Daily Stretch Routine — Adductor Stretch

Modification: If this position feels uncomfortable or you have difficulty keeping your back straight, place a firm pillow under your bottom. That should help.

Hamstring Stretch

You should feel this stretch on the back of your thigh.

Straighten one leg.
Reach toward your ankle, allowing your hand to rest comfortably on your leg.
Keep your lower back straight.
Bend forward from your hip (not your lower back).
Keep your knee straight, but soft (do not press the back of your knee down into the carpet).

Modification: Place firm pillow under your bottom

Warning:

Keep your lower back straight and untwisted at all times.
Ensure your weight is placed equally on both sides of your bottom.

Tricep and Latissimus Dorsi Stretch

You should feel this stretch on the back of your arm, down your side, and on the back of your thigh.

Ease up on the hamstring stretch.
Focus on the arm on the same side of the body as your bent leg.
Externally rotate entire arm (rotate thumb away from your body).
Raise arm over your head.
Bend your elbow bringing your forearm as close to your bicep as possible.
Grasp elbow with opposite hand and pull, leaning toward your straight leg.
Re-instate the stretch on your hamstring.

Modification: If you feel any pinch in your shoulder, start over with externally rotating the entire arm and keeping it externally rotated whilst raising it over your head.

Warning:

Keep your lower back straight and untwisted at all times.
Ensure your weight is placed equally on both sides of your butt.
If you feel any pain in your shoulder, discontinue this exercise.

Repeat the hamstring stretch, and then the tricep and latissimus dorsi stretch on the other side.

Piriformis Stretch

You should feel this stretch across your butt.

What’s a piriformis? It’s a muscle that runs horizontally beneath your gluteal muscles (on your butt). With our computer driven society, we sit an awful lot. This can tighten the piriformis muscle. A tight piriformis muscle is the number one cause of sciatica (pain down the back of the leg).

Sitting up straight, bend one knee inwards so that your foot is near your butt (the bottom leg).
Bend other knee and rest ankle on the knee of the first leg (the top leg).
Sit up very straight! Even arch your lower back if you can.

Modification:

Many people will find this difficult!
Place a firm pillow under your butt. That should help.
Further modification is to keep the bottom leg straight.
If you feel pressure on the back of the knee (of the straight leg) place a towel underneath to give support (not shown).
You can also do this stretch lying down (not shown).

Warning: Ensure your weight is placed equally on both sides of your butt.

Gluteal Stretch

You should feel this stretch over your butt.

Directly following the piriformis stretch,
Slide your top foot down onto the outside of your bottom leg, and
Pull your top knee toward your chest.

Warning: Don’t twist or torque lower back or pelvis.

Quadricep Stretch

You should feel this stretch on the front of your thigh.

Lay on your side with a straight and neutral spine.
Cradle your head on a bent arm to ensure your neck remains in neutral.
Bring your bottom leg up in front at a 90 degree angle to ensure stability.
Grasp your ankle or foot and pull it up behind you keeping that leg parallel with the ground.
Your eventual goal is for your upper leg and body to be in a straight line.

Warning: Ensure that your foot is directly behind your bottom. Do not twist or torque your knee.

Hip Flexor Stretch

You should feel this stretch on the upper, front portion of your hip and thigh.

While still in the quadriceps stretch, let go of your foot and straighten your top leg.
Slide your bottom knee up toward your chest and roll onto it into an upright position.
Your back leg should be straight out behind you.
Push up until your arms are straight.

Modification: For an increased stretch, place both hands on your front knee.

Modification: stretch your hip flexor in a lunge position:

Your body must be stable enough that the muscle “lets go” and stretches. Snug your hip and shoulder up against something solid (wall or cupboard door).
Kneel into a lunge position with one leg behind and one in front, both knees at 90 degrees
If kneeling hurts, use a dense cushion or block with your knee cap over the edge (not shown).
Lengthen your torso into proper posture. Tuck your tail to protect your lower back. Push your hips forward.

Warning: You should feel this in your front (hip flexor) not in your lower back.

Calf (Gastrocnemius/Soleus) Stretch

You should feel this stretch on your calf.

Heel on ground, toes up on wall.
Keep knees straight.
Keep eyes level (any movement of the inner ear will cause a slight contraction of the calf muscle as it’s a postural muscle).

This is easier when you wear running shoes.

Repeat the calf stretch on the other side.

Bicep Stretch

You should feel this stretch on your bicep.

Stand adjacent to a door jam ensuring it lines up with the back of your heels.
Head back, tuck chin, roll shoulders back.
Anchor your fist against the door jam.
Ensure your upper arm is diagonal toward the floor.
Shuffle forward until you feel a stretch.

Warning: You shouldn’t feel a twist in your torso.

Repeat the Bicep Stretch on the other side.

Chest (Pectoralis Major) Stretch

You should feel this stretch across your chest.

Stand adjacent to a door jam ensuring it lines up with the back of your heels.
Head back, tuck chin, roll shoulders back.
Anchor your elbow and palm against the door jam.
Ensure your upper arm is just below horizontal to the floor.
Shuffle forward until you feel a stretch across your chest.

Warning:

You shouldn’t feel a twist in your torso.
Do you feel shoulder discomfort? If so, slide your elbow down (moving your body closer to the door jam) until you are more comfortable.
Repeat the chest stretch on your other side.

Upper Back (Thoracic) Stretch

You should feel this stretch across your upper back.

Stretch one side at a time.
With feet shoulder width apart, stand about a foot away from the door jam.
With arm below horizontal and palm facing away from your body, grasp the door jam.
Bend your knees and sit back until you feel a slight stretch in your upper back on the same side
Rotate opposite shoulder towards the door jam for an increased stretch.

Warning:

Keep shoulders down and neck straight.
Ensure your knees stay behind your toes.
Repeat the Upper Back Stretch on the other side.

A daily stretch routine done safely and on a consistent basis will give you ease of movement for life!

– LEONG Orthopaedic Health

personal training

by appointment only. Please email:

LeongOrthopaedicHealth@gmail.com

Heed These Warnings!