Easy Daily Stretching Routine
This topic was chosen by popular request from you, our patients! There's so much information available these days that it's hard to narrow down the essentials. So, when trying to create a daily stretching routine, how do you know which exercises to include? Take it from an expert of the musculoskeletal system, me, Dr. Wasserman! Allow me to show you 5 exercises to make a part of your easy daily stretching routine.
1. Levator Stretch
Let's face it, a majority of us sit at a desk all day. This position can lead to neck strain going into the base of the shoulder blades. There's a small muscle that connects the top of your shoulder blade to the back of your head. When this muscle gets tight we experience neck pain, shoulder pain, and even headaches.
How to do it:
- Start in a seated position.
- Place the hand of the side you want to stretch behind your back.
- Take the opposite hand and pull your head forwards and to the opposite side at an angle, until you feel a stretch from the base of your skull down into your shoulder blade.
- Hold this stretch.
2. Piriformis Stretch
Another consequence of spending all day sitting at a desk is feeling tightness in the hips. This can also affect the back and cause low back pain. This exercise is one of my favorites. It can also be done from the sitting position. Send me an email if you want to see how that one is done. Try this one out right now!
How to do it:
- Lie on your back and bend your affected knee.
- Cross this leg over your other knee, placing the outside of your ankle just above the knee of your good leg.
- Let the knee on your affected leg drop out to the side, and bend the good leg, sliding your heel towards your buttocks.
- You may feel a stretch through your affected buttock.
- To increase this stretch, interlace your fingers behind the thigh of your good leg, and pull your thigh in towards you, lifting the foot off the ground.
- To increase this stretch further still, push your elbow into the thigh of your affected leg.
- Hold this position.
3. Dynamic Toe Touch
This is an exercise for your hamstrings. Honestly, unless you frequently spend a lot of time working on this, you probably have tight hamstrings. Even active people and people who work out experience this. If you're a deskworker, then definitely. Maybe gymnasts, martial artists, and dancers might be good in this area. Otherwise, this one is for you.
How to do it:
This is a three-part exercise with a ball between your knees.
- To start: face the bar. If you don't have a bar you can use a piece of wood or two books that are equal in height.
- Place the ball between your knees and place your toes on the bar while keeping the heels on the floor.
- Lift your arm as high as you can, then reach down towards your toes.
- As you reach down, push your hips back, keeping your back straight.
- Next, step on the bar with your heels keeping the toes on the ground, and squeeze the ball in between your knees. Reach down toward your toes, then stand up straight, again keeping a flat back throughout.
- Finally, place your feet flat on the ground and repeat the movement reaching up and down whilst squeezing the ball between your knees.
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4. Can Opener
This is a great full spine mobility stretch. This works the neck, upper back, lower back, and even chest and shoulders. This is great for athletes and deskworkers workers alike. Rotational athletes, such as those that play golf, baseball, hockey, and tennis can especially benefit from this.
How to do it:
- Lie on your side with your arms outstretched on the floor in front of you. Your lower leg should be straight and in line with the rest of your body. Your upper leg should be bent in front of you with both the hip and knee at 90 degrees. You may wish to rest your upper leg on pillows or a foam roller.
- Take a deep breath in.
- As you breathe out, lift your top arm up from the floor towards the ceiling. Follow the movement with your head.
- Continue to move this arm up and over to the floor on the other side. Allow your upper body and head to follow the movement of this arm.
- Lift this arm back up from the floor, sweeping towards the ceiling and return it to lie on top of your other arm. Again, follow this movement with your gaze, head, and upper body.
- Take a deep breath in, and then repeat.
5. Hip Flexor Stretch
Your hip flexors get tight from lots of things, but once again the culprit is long hours of sitting. When your legs are bent forward in a sitting position, the muscles in the front of your hips become tight. Let's stretch those out! This can also help reduce back pain.
How to do it:
- Kneel down on one knee. Ensure your rear knee is directly under your hip and your front knee is in line with your front heel.
- Now tuck your bottom under, opening out through the front of the hip you are kneeling on.
- To increase the stretch, gently lean to the opposite side and place the arm of the same side you are stretching up above your head and stretch towards the ceiling.
- Maintain the position for 15 seconds.
These five simple exercises will only take a few minutes to do and require practically no equipment (with the exception of the toe touch sequence, and almost anything will work). Try to make this a part of your routine and enjoy a more pain free work day! If you have any questions about additional exercises that may help with your condition, or if you think you may need some additional one-on-one work, don't hesitate to give us a call at (561) 747-5234 or book an appointment online.