By Michele S Jang, PT

Can you bend over and touch your toes without bending your knees? Did you know that the inability to do so can indicate your risk of developing back pain? If you can’t, you probably have tight hamstrings, which increases your risk of injury. Many of our daily duties that are sedentary, can precipitate tight muscles; such as, sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day. A flexible core is critical to perform any recreational activity while reducing back strain. Many muscles that encourage a flexible back are actually in the hip and lower extremities. Here are a few stretches that you can perform daily to reduce your risk of developing back pain.
First, let’s review how to properly stretch.  Warm up with 5-10 minutes of low intensity exercise prior to stretching. Muscles are more pliable when warmed up due to increased circulation. Aim to hold a comfortable, not painful, stretch for at least 30 seconds. Flexibility gains are increased with stretches of a longer duration.

Hamstring stretch:  Sit near the edge of a chair.  Straighten one leg while the knee of the other is bent to support you. Keep your back straight and lean forward slowly at the waist, bringing your chest towards your thighs until you feel a stretch in the back of your thigh or knee of your straightened leg.

Piriformis stretch:  Sit near the edge of a chair with your knees bent at 90 degrees.  Cross one of your legs; resting that ankle just above the knee of your opposite leg. Allow your top bent knee to relax out to the side. While sitting tall, slowly lean your torso forward until a stretch is felt in the hip/buttock area of the bent leg.
Hip flexor stretch:  Stagger your stance so that your feet are at least 2 feet apart into a forward lunge position.  Hold onto a wall or chair for support if needed.  Keeping your torso facing straight ahead, bend your knees and lower your torso directly down towards the floor until a stretch is felt in the front hip of the back leg.  Your back heel will come up.
Be sure to perform each of the stretches on both sides.  Use of proper technique is essential, as stretching incorrectly can do more harm than good. Please contact our clinic if you have any questions or concerns regarding proper technique.

Michele S Jang, PT is a physical therapist who likes to look outside the box. She has been a physical therapist for over 20 years and has extensive training in manual therapy or the use of hands to help rehabilitate the body. Michele has been an instructor both in the United States and abroad.  She offers Free Consults on Tuesday afternoons.  Michele also has a team of therapists at Spirit Winds who offer an array of expertise on exercise, fall prevention, foot and shoe assessments, body mechanics and proper breathing technique to increase awareness and healing.   Michele can be reached at 805 543-5100 or .   For more information please also visit www.spiritwindstherapy