Stretching: Stretch Your Back

Have you experienced short stabs of pain in your back when you change your position after sitting down or lying down for a few hours? Have you experienced discomfort when your chair does not support your lower back? Are you generally tired when you get up from bed? Chances are, your back muscles are stiffening up!

The back is an area that's often ignored but one which is a cause of concern especially as the years go by. The following exercises are designed to look after the flexibility of your upper, lower and middle back sections.

EXERCISE 1: Towel Stretch for upper back muscles

1. Stand in front of a mirror and grasp one end of a bath towel with your right hand.
2. Throw the other end of the towel over your right shoulder so that the left hand can grasp it behind your back.
3. Use the left hand to go back and pull down on the towel, thereby stretching the right arm up.
4. Hold this stretch until you feel the downward pull in your towel transferring to your upper back.
5. Then raise the right arm as high as you can so as to cause the left arm to bend up toward the shoulder blades.
6. Hold this stretch until you feel the upward pull in your towel transferring to your upper back.
7. Then try steps 1-7 using the left hand in front and the right hand at the back.

EXERCISE 2 A: Double knee-to-chest stretch for lower back muscles

1. Lie down on back.
2. Pull both knees on to chest until you feel a comfortable stretch in the lower back.
3. Hold for 45 to 60 seconds.
4. Release hold.
5. Stretch out both legs, keeping them close.

EXERCISE 2 B: Trunk stretch for lower back muscles

1. Bend knees and sit on your lower legs. Tuck your toes together below your butt. Keep hands on your thighs, relaxed, bent at the elbows. This is a Yogic posture called Vazraasana.
2. Slowly raise both arms in front of you, keeping them straight from the armpits. Keep hands open, palms pointed to the floor.
3. Push both arms further in front and lower them together to touch the floor at a distance from your knees. Feel the tug on your wings and lower back.
4. Lower your face to touch your upper arms.
5. Hold for 45 to 60 seconds.
6. Return to position 2, then 1.

EXERCISE 3: Rotation stretch for middle back muscles

1. Lie on stomach. Lift body so that only hands and feet touch the floor.
2. Imagine your body is a compass, where the fulcrum is located at the mid-back region. Hold for 10 seconds.
3. Try to draw a circle (just as a compass works) keeping the tip of your toes stationery (as if it is the needle) and the tip of your fingers tracing the circle on the floor.
4. Hold for 45 to 60 seconds and release.
5. Repeat twice on each side.

Common Tips

1. For maximum effectiveness, do some light free-hand exercises before working out any of the above exercises.
2. While doing this exercise, forget you are stretching your middle back muscles. Concentrate on drawing the circle!
3. For better results, take a chalk or pencil in your hand before beginning the exercise. Later check if you have been able to draw an accurate circle.
4. Stretch smoothly. Bouncing back or forth can cause injury.

Precautions

1. Suspend all back exercises if you have spondylosis or slip disc.
2. Show your medical doctor the list of exercises recommended by us.
3. If you have had a hip replacement, check with your surgeon.
4. Before beginning any of the above exercises, warm up by moving both arms clockwise and anticlockwise on the sides. Avoid jerks.
5. Preferably do back stretching in an empty stomach.
6. If you feel acute pain in your toes or knees while doing the Vazraasana, (mild discomfort is normal), skip the exercise.

It's important to focus on all the three sections or areas of the back to achieve overall back fitness. However, your lower back requires special attention, and so two sets of exercises have been given. The Yogic posture also treats indigestion and improves balance, thereby inducing flexibility in the region. Follow these exercises and stretches to stay in tip-top shape.