Back to Basics - Stretching

Even before lock down measures were in place, the amount of sedentary activity at most peoples’ lives is ridiculous. Although many need to sit for long periods, if you can understand why prolonged sitting is so bad for you, then you are likely to introduce more regular movement into your sitting day. 

Sitting for long periods leads to fatigue of the gluteal, piriformis and hip flexor muscles, as well as stressing the discs, ligaments, and joints of the spine. Over time small amounts of damage and inflammation can occur and get worse, which predisposes the spine to further injuries. 

Going for a short walk or doing some simple stretches resets the postural muscles that were slowly fatiguing as well as being good for the spinal discs, ligaments and joints. 

Stretching is the process of elongation or lengthening of a muscle group over a short period of time. Regular stretching is important because it helps keep muscles strong and flexible and helps maintain the range of motion of a joint. 

Back stretches: 

Lateral flexion - from sitting or standing, lean to your left, sliding your left arm down the side of your body, without any twisting or bending forward. Repeat to the right. 

Rotation - from sitting or standing, twist your upper body to your left, you should feel a nice stretch in your back. Repeat to the right. 

Flexion - if you bend forward to your toes while keeping your knees locked (legs straight) you will stretch your hamstrings more than your back. So, first tilt your pelvis backwards then bend forward, you should feel a nice stretch in your lower back. 

Extension - put your hands on each side of your lower back and gently lean backwards. This should feel like a nice stretch. 

You can do similar stretches for your neck by bending your neck and head forwards, backwards, to the left, to the right, turn to the left and turn to the right.

Extra stretches:

To stretch the hip flexor muscles - kneel on your right knee with your left foot in front of you, knee bent. Move your pelvis forward and lean back. Squeeze your buttocks for extra stretch.

To stretch the gluteal and piriformis muscles - while sitting, place one ankle across the opposite knee. Lean forward with a straight back. You should feel a stretch around the back of your hip and glutes. 

To stretch the hamstring muscles - while standing place one foot on a chair in front of you, then keeping your back straight lean forward. You should feel a gentle stretch at the back of your thigh. 

Aim for 3/10 pain when you stretch, so that there is some discomfort but no chance of doing damage.

The longer you hold each stretch, the more benefit you get. Ideally, you want to perform them for 10-30 seconds, each side. However, the law of diminishing returns tells us that doing a short 10-second stretch three times per day is better than a 30-second stretch once per day.

Through adopting a regular stretching routine, you will reap the benefits of healthy and flexible muscles, ligaments, discs and joints. Enjoy!