Lower back pain can be debilitating!
These days we all sit too much, often hunched over a keyboard or a smart phone.
Doing these 7 stretches daily can really help.
Hold each of these stretches for 30 seconds.
1) Hamstring Stretch
Lie on your back, with your spine in a neutral position, legs bent and feet on the
floor.
Raise one leg upwards towards the ceiling.
With both hands reach behind your hamstring (or your calf if you are more flexible) to feel a stretch through the back of your leg (hamstring).
Don't worry if your leg isn't straight, as your flexibility improves you will be able to straighten it more
Repeat with the other leg
NOTE: If you have diastasis recti, make sure you go down onto your back by lowering to your side and then rolling over. DO NOT go through a crunch postion to get up or down
2) Knee to chest
Still on your back
Bring one knee to your chest.
To avoid stress on the knee make sure you put your hands behind your knee rather than on top of it.
For a deeper stretch you can straighten your bottom leg, but don't do this if you can not maintain a neutral spine.
Switch legs and repeat.
You should feel a stretch through your lower back and into your glutes.
3) Piriformis Stretch
Place one ankle across the opposite knee.
Gently pull the knee towards your head and hold.
Switch legs and repeat.
You should feel the stretch in your glutes, especially in the leg that is crossed over
4) Spinal Stretch
For this stretch you start lying on your back.
Keep both shoulders on the ground for the whole stretch.
Bend one knee up with your foot on the ground, then lower the knee to the ground on the opposite side of your straight leg.
Place you opposite hand on top of your knee to gently stretch it further.
Switch legs and repeat.
You should feel the stretch in your lower back, especially towards the sides.
5) Quadriceps stretch
You can do this a number of ways but my favorite way is to lye face down on a mat.
Bend one knee and grab in with the same hand just below the ankle, and gentally pull it down towards your butt.
If you don't feel anything try tucking your pelvis slightly, till you feel the stretch in your quadriceps.
You could do this stretch lying on your side (though I find it can be hard to get in a straight line) or you could do it standing holding onto something for balance.
Repeat on the other side
6) Hip Flexors
To do this stretch, come up onto your knees.
Bring one leg forward, put your hands just above your knee and bend it gently stretching forward. NOTE: your knee needs to stay over your ankle, and keep your back straight
Repeat the other side
You should feel the stretch in through your hips and legs
IF YOUR HIP FLEXORS ARE TIGHT - this could impact your posture, causing everything from neck pain, lower back pain and pelvic floor issues. You can find more hip flexor stretches here
7) Full Squat
Hold onto something that wont move, e.g. under the bed or table leg.
Hold very low, and lean back into a full squat. Your legs should be together and head rested on your knees
It will feel great in your upper back. Relax back into the stretch don't use your muscles to hold yourself up
Say here breathing deeply into your diaphragm feeling a back body expansion on the inhale
Save