Back Exercises

Four exercises you can do everyday to stretch out your lower back to prevent injury and stay limber. ATI Physical Therapy Elmhurst, Illinois Clinic Director Brittany describes the proper way to do the exercises.

Transcript

Hi, my name is Brittany, I'm the clinic director at ATI Elmhurst. Today I'll be showing you a few exercises you can use everyday to stretch out your back.

For this first exercise, I want you to lay on a flat surface. This exercise is intended to stretch out the lower back. We're going to start with bending of both legs, and I want you to bring both knees back up toward your chest, wrapping your arms around. Make sure not to push into any pain. You're going to hold this stretch for approximately ten seconds, and then you can relax. I want you to repeat this ten times.

For this next exercise I also want you to be on a flat surface. This next exercise, again, is to stretch out the low back. I want you to start with knees bent up. Hands can be flat on your stomach, or on the table. You're going to do a nice, gentle rotation to the side. Hold that for a couple of seconds. Come back to center, and stretch to the opposite side. You don't want to cause any pain, or stretch to the complete far motion, just what's available, and a nice gentle stretch should be felt. I want you to do twenty of these at one time, and you can do these three times a day.

This next exercise will also require you to lay on a flat surface. I want you to bend up both legs, cross one leg over the top, reach through with your hands to grab that leg and pull it back toward your chest. In this position, you should feel a nice stretch through your right buttock. Hold this stretch for thirty seconds before releasing. Once you've released, cross the opposite leg to perform the stretch again. Again, hold this stretch for thirty seconds. Perform two repetitions up to three times a day.

This next exercise requires a partner. Again, you will need to lay on a flat surface. One leg can stay flat, the partner will grab the opposite leg, and pull back into a nice stretch. This stretch will be felt through the hamstring. It's important that the knee stays straight, so you can get the optimal stretch. Hold this stretch for thirty seconds, before you switch to the opposite side. It is important to stretch both legs for thirty seconds, two repetitions, and this can be performed up to three times a day.

Do these exercises every morning to help improve flexibility and reduce overall risk of injury.