Easy Everyday Stretches for Back Pain Relief
By Sara Butler
One of the most important things you can do to protect your spine is to increase your flexibility. Part of this is accomplished when you see your chiropractor, since the hands-on adjustments they perform work to keep your spinal joints flexible and increase your range of motion. In order to ensure your flexibility is top notch, you should also take a few minutes out of your day to try some of these simple stretches.
Downward Dog
You don’t have to be a yoga enthusiast to incorporate this move into your everyday routine. It has amazing benefits such as:
- Relief of low back pain
- Increased flexibility in the hamstrings, calves, and shoulders
- Help in elongating the neck, relieving tension in the head and neck
To do this stretch, you simply need to:
- Get on your hands and knees
- Make sure your hands are right below your shoulders
- Make sure your knees are right below your hips
- Spread your fingers wide to help with stability
- Lift your knees and push your hips to the ceiling as you inhale
- Stretch your heels to the floor, bend your knees slightly if you need to
- Draw your shoulder blades down
- Deep breathe as you hold the position and feel the stretch
The Thread and Needle
The fancy name for this is the “lying piriformis stretch.” Its benefits include:
- Increased flexibility of the glutes and hips
- Helps your hip and knee joints to stay in alignment
- Helps with ease of hip rotation
To perform this stretch you simply:
- Lay down on your back with knees bent
- Bring one ankle up and over the opposite knee
- Thread your hands between your legs and pull your knees to your chest
- Make sure your neck and head are relaxed, and breathe
The Low Lunge
Lunges are a great way to build strength and increase flexibility and it also stretches your hips. Tight hips can lead to low back pain. The low lunge benefits you by:
- Improving the flexibility of your thigh muscles and hips
- Releasing tension in your hips
To do this stretch you should:
- Get on your knees
- Bring your right foot forward, keeping the heel and knee in line
- Reach with your left hand over your head to the sky
- Engage your glutes and keep both hips facing forward
- Switch sides and don’t forget to breathe
These stretches can increase your flexibility and strength and can also help if you suffer from low back pain. If you have any questions about these stretches or would like some more ideas for ways to increase flexibility, talk to your chiropractor during your next visit to The Joint Chiropractic.