Ok, Here's Your Final 3 Stretches to Get and Keep You Out of Back Pain

As promised, you’ll find below the final 3 stretches to get and keep you out of back pain.

Obviously the 9 hip stretches I’ve provided are by no means an exhaustive list of hip stretches to get you out of back pain.  But they are in fact a great beginning set of stretches to start you on the road to recovery.  I’ve had great results with my clients utilizing these 9 stretches. For some, that may be all the assistance you need to help keep your body in balance, while others may need a bit more individualized routine.

Equally, if not more important than the exact stretches you do, is how consistent are you executing the stretches. Are you regularly performing the stretches – daily or every other day for example? Or are you like many people and only do the stretches when you’re in discomfort or pain.  Like any other part of your body, your hips and lower back need regular maintenance to keep them functioning optimally.

I often give the example of brushing and flossing as a habit we all perform consistently to make sure that we have long lasting, functioning teeth into our later years.  No one seems to have a problem understanding the importance of regular brushing and flossing to stave off cavities and other teeth and gum issues.  But for some reason when you ask someone to take 7-10 minutes out of their day for regular rolling and stretching, they feel like you’re making a huge request.

Trust me, if you’ve had lower back pain you understand how insignificant 7-10 minutes per day is to not have to experience pain.  To be quite honest, too many people spend 7-10 minutes on their phone and get no health benefits. 

Ultimately the choice is yours. . . .

This is Stretch #1

I call this Windshield Wipers. Lay flat on your back, arms out wide, knees bent 45-90 degrees, feet flat on the ground. Take your left ankle and place it on your right knee. Drop both legs to the left side to feel a stretch in the right hip. The goal is for the stretch to come from the hip and NOT the lower back. Hold for 5-7 breaths. Repeat on other side.

This is Stretch #2

This is a slightly less aggressive form of pigeon from the lying position. Lay flat on your back.  Bring your right leg towards your chest. Grasping your knee and ankle gently, pulling the leg towards the left side of your chest (so you are moving the leg across the body) until you feel a stretch in your glutes. You will create a very gentle stretch in the hip. You should feel no pain in the knee. Repeat this process 3-7 times on both sides.

This is Stretch #3

Laying flat on your back, place your feet just outside of shoulder width with knee bent and feet flat. Allow your knees to drop inward and relax against one another. Hold this position for 7-10 breaths.

There you go. Hope this group of hip stretches starts you on a path of taking good care of you. Stay consistent and be sure to check back for other help and practical ways to keep you out of pain and feeling good.

3 Stretches to Get Rid of Back Pain

Like it or not, whether you’ve had to deal with it or not, back pain is the most common complaint when it comes to physical pain.  Whether it’s from taking a bad fall, spending most of your day in a seated position stuck at a desk, sleeping in awkward positions or sitting in awkward positions, lower back pain and often associated hip pain, is just no fun!

If you’ve been following my blogs for any length of time, you already know that if you have pain, getting rid of it is often a two-step process.  The main goal is to calm the tight over active muscle(s), and the second is to strengthen the muscles that are not working properly.  Explaining it this way helps to remind you about the importance of keeping your body in balance.  Excesses in any area don’t typically serve you for very long.

I’ll spare you all the $10 words and complicated muscle explanations and start off by saying let’s first get those tight muscles loosened up with some solid self-myofascial release techniques.  Then I’ll ask you to do your first 3 stretches, illustrated below, to get you on the road to eliminating lower back pain.

This is Stretch#1 (1/3).
This stretch is often called Child's Pose. From a kneeling position, toes pointed straight back, sit backwards so that you are sitting on the heels of your shoes. Reach forward with both arms, far enough to feel a stretch in the lower back and shoulders.  Hold for 7-10 seconds

This is Stretch #1 (2/3)

Keeping your legs where they are at, engage your abs and move both arms to the right until a stretch is felt on the left side of the body. Think of making your body into a half circle. Be sure to remain seated on your heels.  Hold for 7-10 seconds.

This is Stretch #1 (3/3).
Now do the same process you did for the above picture for the left side.  Hold for 7-10 seconds

This is Stretch #2
Begin on your knees, with your knees out wide, resting on forearms. Then straighten one leg out to the side. Be sure that the toe of the straight leg is in line with the knee of the kneeling leg. If possible, reach out to touch toe of straight leg with same side hand.  Repeat movement 3 times on both sides.

Stretch #3

From a standing or kneeling position, step back with one leg so that the back knee is resting on the floor. The front leg should be bent at 90 degrees with the knee directly over the ankle (see image above). Slowly push your hips/zipper down and forward so that you feel a stretch in the thigh on the back leg. You may also feel a stretch in the groin of the front leg. Hold this position for 5-7 breaths. Then switch to the other side. Repeat this stretch 2-3 times to relax the hips.

These stretches will start you on your journey to getting rid of back pain.

Please be sure to check back in to get more stretches to keep you feeling good and out of pain.

Self Myo--- What? It's time to get rid of the pain . . . . completely!

I have to admit that I see people using the foam rollers and other self massage techniques more than ever before, but it still surprises me how many people still don't know the benefits.

 Whether it's new clients or the regular gym members that consult me on how to get out of pain, I have to tell you self-massage has got to be one of the most underrated "get out of pain and speed healing" techniques I know.

It doesn't matter if you spend your day sitting at a desk, are a weekend warrior with some nagging aches and pains, or a competitive athlete looking to decrease soreness and improve performance, self-myofascial release (self-massage) works.

  As the old saying goes, “sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees”?  This morning I was reminded of just “how deep in the trees” I am.

I was approached by a woman that I see regularly at the gym who asked me how to get rid of her knee pain she's had for the past 4 weeks.  She stated that she enjoyed Spinning, long bike rides on the weekends, but spend most of her day at her desk at work. In addition, after sitting for long periods of time, standing up is quite painful, though the pain decreases after moving around for a bit. I asked had she had any falls or other impact to her knee and she stated, "No".

She also said that she had begun stretching, but that only made a minor difference in the pain. It’s gotten to the point now where she is unable to enjoy her usual cycling and it's beginning to make her depressed.

 I asked, “Do you do any self-myofascial release or self-massage”?  She said, “What’s that”?  I then proceeded to demonstrate some techniques using my Energy F/X Tube.

While I was demonstrating the techniques it hit me...

 I take for granted that many people don’t know about the benefits of self-myofascial release.  In a nutshell, self-myofascial release is a type of self-massage using a hard roller, tube or ball.  It helps break up scar tissue and increases blood flow to the affected area.  Not to mention it can increase your range of motion and improve performance.

Many weekend warriors and sedentary people end up feeling stiff and hurting, and mistakenly believe there is something wrong with their joints that might require surgery.  In fact, most of the time all they need to do is regular self-myofascial release.

Before you give up hope and think the only alternative to being in pain is surgery, check out the videos below where I demonstrate how to use self-myofascial release techniques to get out of pain.  It's simple to do, and literally doesn't take more than a few minutes a day.