Featured Exercises

Trapezius Stretch

This exercise is a stretch for the trapezius, a muscle that begins at the base of your skull, and fans out like a diamond towards the tip of your shoulders, and ends at the bottom in the middle of your back.

Stand and place with you left hand behind your head.
With your hand, slowly pull your head down towards your chin, hold for 30 seconds and relax.
For the next part, rotate your head and pull it down towards your left shoulder. Then pull your other hand behind your back towards your left hip. Hold the stretch 30 seconds.
Repeat on the other side.

This stretch helps to alleviate tension across the top of the shoulders.

Low Lunge

This is a simple stretch that is great on your hips, back and for relieving sciatica pain. You can do lunge stretches at work, waiting for your morning coffee or right before you go to bed.

To do this stretch, start by putting your body in a runner’s lunge position, with your right leg bent and your left leg out behind you, hands framing your front right leg.
Making sure that your front right knee is directly over your ankle place your left knee on the ground with the top of your foot on the ground, extending the leg behind you.
Placing your hands lightly on your hips, once you feel balanced raise your hips up and lean forward to feel the stretch in the left hip flexor.

Chin Tuck

1.Sit or stand against a wall, with your head, shoulders and back touching the wall. Don’t slouch!
2.Keeping your head against the wall, pull your chin backwards. Imagine you are trying to hold a pen under your chin.
3.Hold in this position for 5 seconds.
4.Relax and return to the starting position.
5.Repeat 10 times, once a day.
As you get better at doing this exercise, you may not need to lean against a wall Just make sure your head stays upright.

Notes:
– Keep breathing normally while you exercise. Do not hold your breath.
– Exercise gently and slowly. It should not hurt.
– If an exercise becomes painful, stop immediately and seek advice from your therapist

Neck Rotations

The following is a useful exercises that can help to increase the range of motion in your neck.

This exercise should be done while sitting comfortably in a chair with your feet flat on the floor and your neck in a neutral position. Your neck should be positioned right above your spine (in other words, be sure your head is not jutting forward or back), and you should be looking straight ahead.

If you feel pain (rather than just discomfort) while doing any exercises, stop immediately and do not resume them until you have consulted with your chiropractor.

Neck rotations –

Keeping your head level, gradually turn your head to the right as far as you comfortably can.
Looking over your right shoulder, and hold for 10 seconds.
Then slowly turn your head to the left, looking over your left shoulder, and hold for another 10 seconds.
Repeat 5 times.

Knee to Chest

This is a very easy exercise that manipulates the muscles in your thighs, back, butt, legs and stomach.

Lie flat on your back.
Keep the left knee bent and place the feet flat on the floor.
Keep the right leg straight flat on the floor, where the ankle touches the floor.
Bend the left knee and bring it to your chest. (You may not be able to do it perfectly or bring it closer to chest initially for few days)
Hug the bent leg and stay put for 10 counts.
Repeat the same for right leg.

It gives a good stretch to the back, butt and thigh muscle and relives pain quickly. It also helps reducing the sciatica pain and swelling.

Do this stretch for around 5 times each side. Besides, you can also do this with both legs simultaneously! It also helps you reducing your belly fat and aids in digestion.

Stretching Exercises The Piriformis Stretch

There are several different ways to stretch your piriformis, and you can even try this one at work!

Chair-sitting Stretch

As you are probably sitting down, I invite you to perform this stretch now.

Sit up straight and pull one leg up, resting your ankle on your opposite knee. Make sure your leg is parallel to the floor.
Slowly bring your chest forward until you feel your hips begin to stretch. Make sure your back remains straight through the whole stretch.
Stay in that position for 20 to 30 seconds then slowly raise your body back up. If you would like, perform the stretch again.

Once you have finished one leg, move on to the other leg and repeat the same. As time goes on and your flexibility increases, you should be able to lean your chest in further before feeling the mild stretch on your hips.

Elbow Stretches - Warm-up exercises to prevent elbow strains

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