Lower Back Stretches

Lower back stretches have two functions - to remove your lower back pain and to gain flexibility.

There are three questions you should always ask relating to lower back stretching. Read on to find out the answers to the biggest questions on stretching your lower back.

Which Lower Back Stretches should you do?

The simplest question first. There are major and minor muscles. The major muscles influence your lower back and how it moves and functions. These are the muscles you should always target. The minor muscles can be involved and can be stretched for the sake of completeness, or if you find changes are slow.

The major muscles are your Hip Flexors, Erector Spinae, Hamstring and Gluteals. If you have sciatica then the Piriformis also fits into this group.

The minor muscles are your Adductors, Tensor Fascia Lata, Quadratus Lumborum and Quadriceps.

The major muscles are the more common that cause lower back pain and also inhibit flexibility. Target these and big changes occur. This leads into the second question...

What is the best way to Stretch?

Below there is a link to the actual way to stretch. The best way to stretch is not the procedure but the mechanics of the stretch. There are certain ways to stretch that make dramatic changes in a very short time.

The best way to stretch for both back pain relief and to gain flexibility is to use PNF stretches. PNF stands for proprioceptive neuro-facilitation, hence PNF is easier to say and write.

This type of stretch uses a rebound relaxation of your muscles as well as strengthening the muscle at the same time. Research and studies have shown this to be the most effective way to stretch for back pain relief and to gain flexibility.

So now you know what to stretch and the best way to stretch, the last question is knowing ...

When is the best time to Stretch?

Timing is everything. The reason is simple enough; you are doing lower back stretches to remove pain and to improve flexibility. When you stretch you are relaxing the muscle. Using it immediately after you stretch removes the entire reason you are stretching - using the muscle contracts the muscle, stretching relaxes it.

The answer is obvious. If you want to gain change quickly you need to stretch and then relax the muscle. You also need to retrain the muscle so that it relaxes when not in use, but on guard ready to be used when you ask it to. The PNF stretches combined with timing gives you this ability.

Stretching needs to be done 3 times each day (PNF only takes a few seconds to do) - morning, in the day and just prior to bed. The prior to bed being the most important as you stretch the muscle and then relax it - for the entire night. This allows the muscle to gain the biggest change for pain relief and flexibility.

The BIGGEST Mistake In Stretching

The biggest mistake made when stretching is actually the main reason why stretching has poor success in relieving lower back pain.

The latest statistics says that only 25% of adults with pain now will be pain free in one year. The rest are worse or the same, this includes all those stretching to ease lower back pain. Why?

The biggest mistake is the main reason behind these statistics. Unless you know what distortion patterns occur in your spine, you are likely to be stretching the wrong muscles.

Once you know what patterns you have, you can target the right muscles and ease their tension.

What is the best approach to ease your lower back pain?

To get long lasting results you must both remove the symptoms and the cause. First you must identify which spinal imbalances are present, then attack the symptomatic processes. This can be achieved by using many techniques from ice/heat, Acupressure and anti-inflammatory measures. Then you must perform corrective techniques that target the spinal imbalances.

The principles of Spinal Balancing address the both the pain and the root cause of the condition that is responsible for your lower right back pain. Through self assessments, your individual spinal imbalances can be identified, and a targeted corrective program can be developed for your specific needs.

Continue to the ... 3-Step-System for Back Pain Relief!