Why do you need stretching for your back and spine?

Since ancient times, when a person had back pathologies associated with changes in the structure and functioning of the spine, chiropractors corrected the position by traction. The stretching technique has been known for many centuries and has been used in medicine in all countries. Thanks to it, it is possible to naturally expand the inter-disk distance. The result of this is a decompression process of the nerves, which not only reduces pain, but also helps restore the spinal structure even with displaced fractures. Today, traction is carried out using a hardware method in a clinical setting. But there is a way to achieve the effect of stretching the spine without leaving home. To do this, you need to regularly and correctly perform strictly defined exercises.

Spinal stretching at home

Back structure

Our back, like all other parts of the body, consists of muscles. With the help of muscles, a person can move, perform various poses, and many movements are performed without our will. For example, when making any movement, no one watches their posture. And if a person does not make movements, the muscles are still at work, supporting the head so that it does not fall, and also participate in breathing and maintain our balance.

According to their location, they are divided into deep and superficial. And in some places they can be three or four layers.

Now that you have a general idea of the muscles, let's look at the back, which is the main component of the torso and its muscles cover most of the human body.

Anatomy of the back muscles. Thanks to them, as was previously said, a person can not only maintain an upright position, but also with their help you can make bends, protecting against injury.

Conventionally, the back can be divided into parts:

Vertebrate;
Scapular;
Subscapular;
Lumbar;
Sacral.

It can also be divided into internal and external. The external muscles are arranged in 3 layers, and the layers are numbered. The internal ones are also located in 3 layers, but are called: superficial, medium and deep.

External 1st layer:

Trapezoidal;
Latissimus.

External 2nd layer:

Diamond-shaped small and large.

3rd layer:

Serrated;
Levator scapulae muscle;
Supraspinatus;
Infraspinatus;
Round muscle.

Internal. Superficial: splenius muscle of the head and neck.

Middle: back extensor - sacrospinous, transverse spinous.

Deep: levator ribs, interspinous, intertransverse, lumbar rotator muscles, lumbar multifidus, suboccipital.

Benefits of stretching for the back and lower back

Now that we have at least some idea of the muscles of the torso, it’s time to talk about the benefits of stretching for the back and lower back.

If you have back pain or if your lower back hurts, then thanks to constant stretching (gymnastics), you can not only get rid of these pains, but these exercises are a good preventative measure, especially for lower back pain.

Benefits of stretching the lumbar, cervical and thoracic spine:

The ligaments and muscles of the core are strengthened;
The spine straightens and with the help of gymnastics you can correct the curvature in the early stages of scoliosis.
Blood circulation to the muscles and intervertebral discs improves, resulting in an improved supply of nutrients (prevents the development of intervertebral hernias).
Supports posture.
Increases flexibility and elasticity.
When the cervical spine is stretched, headaches disappear and memory improves.
Stretching the spine for osteochondrosis allows you to get rid of pain.

How to properly stretch your lower back

There is such a thing as a balance between properly stretching and relaxing a muscle. In order to relieve muscle tension, and not, on the contrary, increase it, there are a lot of useful exercises. Stretching the lower back requires great care because this area is very sensitive and can easily be injured by awkward body movements.

The lower back needs protection, as people who do not play sports very often incorrectly load this area and suffer injuries and sprains.

The main function of the spine is to keep the body straight. Frequent sitting reduces muscle tone, including the lower back. Stretching regularly can relieve tension. Since more elastic muscles are less susceptible to stress and injury, this can have a preventive effect on the spine.

Contraindications to back stretching

In addition to such a large number of advantages when playing sports, there may also be contraindications, and there are a considerable number of them. Therefore, if you decide to play sports, then first you need to consult with your doctor whether you can exercise or not. Some contraindications will be written here, but this does not mean that if your disease is not on the list, you can train.

You definitely shouldn't do stretching:

Thrombosis and diseases of the cardiovascular system, circulatory disorders, heart failure.
Osteoporosis.
Diseases of the spine during exacerbation, as well as with hernia of the lumbar spine.
Late pregnancy.

Spinal exercise for hernia

Before starting training, you should consult your doctor. First of all, you need to know what types of hernias there are: lumbar, thoracic and cervical. The division occurs according to the sections of the spine.

Stretching the spine during a hernia should be performed on an inclined bench, which is attached to a horizontal bar. The body should be as relaxed as possible. The traction force is changed by the angle of inclination. When performing, watch yourself; if pain occurs, stop immediately.

Exercises for osteochondrosis. When localizing the back and neck, the following are performed: stretching the neck: tilting the head to the side and applying pressure with the hand.

Clasp your hands at the back of your head and tilt your head forward.

If the localization is in the thoracic region, then you can perform exercises on the horizontal bar or wall bars. Go to the wall, place your hands just below your chest, move your pelvis back so that your arms are straightened. This will stretch your back and neck well, and the pain will disappear.

Next is the fetal position.

Sit on your legs with your buttocks, put your stomach on your knees, head between your knees, arms outstretched on the floor.

Lie on the floor, chin resting on the floor, arms under your feet, legs together. Raise 2 legs up together, hold and lower.

Here are just some of the exercises that are most optimal. It is also worth knowing that it is better to perform exercises on the entire torso than to train only the part where the pain is located.

Physiotherapy

Therapeutic exercise is prescribed during the treatment of various spinal diseases diagnosed, including in the lumbar region. It is an auxiliary technique that allows you to speed up the recovery of the damaged area, relieve pain and improve blood flow in the soft tissues. Methods are selected individually, depending on the desired effect, the patient’s age and the severity of the pathology. A set of exercises is prescribed by a doctor to obtain the following results:

Relaxation of overstrained muscles.
Elimination of spasms, blocks and clamps.
Improving blood flow to the diseased area.
Acceleration of the process of regeneration of damaged tissues.
Strengthening the muscle corset that supports the vertebrae in the correct position.
Stretching the muscles to ensure normal flexibility.

To effectively work with the lower back, it is enough to devote at least 10-15 minutes a day to the treatment complex. It should be supplemented with physiotherapeutic procedures and medication. In this case, you will be able to get rid of acute pain for a long time and achieve stable remission.

Exercise during flare-ups

During exacerbation of pathological processes in the joints, any loads are strictly contraindicated. In case of injuries and deformation processes, this can be dangerous, rapid progression of diseases and the development of serious complications. But in some cases, patients are prescribed gymnastics to eliminate muscle spasms, nerve pinches and improve local blood circulation. The training is gentle and includes the following approaches:

While lying on your back, pull your socks towards you, relax and repeat again. Do several approaches.
Lying on a flat, hard surface, place your hands behind your head, while inhaling, bend your knees and elbows, and then return to the starting position. Repeat the exercise 6-8 times.
Lying on your back, bend your right leg at the knee, then raise your pelvis, hold for a few seconds and return it to its original position. Repeat the action 6-8 times.
Lying on your back, place your hands behind your head, spread your elbows to the sides. Bend your legs and pull them towards your stomach. But while inhaling, clasp them with your hands and lower your head. 6-8 approaches are enough.

Charging is performed only under the supervision of a specialist, and is stopped if pain or discomfort occurs. Most exercises are performed without getting out of bed, which allows you to pay attention to them at any time of the day. Approaches that stabilize the vertebrae can be performed using bolsters. Exercises should be aimed only at healthy parts of the spine. Regularity of classes 2-3 times a day.

Technique for performing the “Cat” exercise to strengthen the lower back

Exercises in the subacute period

To prevent the development of acute pain in the lower back, you should pay attention to the back muscles in the subacute period and start doing simple exercises. Some elements from Dr. Bubnovsky’s technique are suitable. All actions are carried out in a gentle manner, with monitoring of the patient’s well-being. As a standard, the complex should include:

Lie down on a flat surface that is hard enough so that it does not bend under the person’s weight. Dangle your legs down, close your eyes and focus on breathing. As you inhale, your stomach and chest fill, after which the whole body gradually rises.
Lie on your back, take a deep breath, and as you exhale, try to tighten the buttock area as much as possible. After a few seconds, relax the area. If there are no contraindications, you can bend your back a little. It is important to keep your breathing even.
To eliminate back pinching, hang on the horizontal bar for a few seconds. During the process, you can do body turns or leg lifts if there are no contraindications.

All of these exercises to strengthen the lower back can be easily performed at home, but if any unpleasant symptoms appear, you should stop exercising and consult a doctor.

Morning exercises for lower back health

Exercise during remission

Gymnastics for the lumbosacral region during the period of stable remission should be aimed at strengthening and relaxing muscle tissue in the affected area. Exercise therapy helps increase blood flow and thereby prolongs the results obtained and minimizes the likelihood of exacerbation. The complex includes the following approaches:

Get on all fours, placing your palms and knees on the floor. As you inhale, bend your back, and as you exhale, return your back to its original position. Do 10-15 repetitions.
Lie on the floor, arms along your body. The legs and body rise completely up to form a straight line, the main emphasis being on the palms.
Squats with weights. Such physical impact on the lower back can be harmful if the weight of the weights is incorrectly calculated. Therefore, this approach should be included only after consultation with a specialist.
Lie on the floor, focus on your palms. Raise your legs, forming a right angle with the floor. Do 10-15 repetitions.
Plank. One of the simple but effective exercises that allows you to strengthen all the back muscles.

When working on the sacral spine, special care should be taken. All actions performed should be aimed at improving the condition and not causing an exacerbation.

Spinal stretching exercises for beginners

It's always difficult to start, especially if you've never played sports before. But don't worry, there are a number of exercises for beginners. But in principle, if you have never trained, you need to know a number of rules so as not to harm yourself when playing sports.

While stretching, you need to monitor your breathing, it should be free. Breathing is not held during execution.
All movements are measured and without jerking.
Smoothness.
A good warm-up before training. And even before stretching, you need to do a warm-up to avoid injury.
During training, you don’t need to cause unbearable pain. The muscles should feel a slight tingling and stretching.

Do a spinal stretching workout and you will get rid of constant back pain, your movements will become less constrained, and you will feel better.

Indications and contraindications

Stretching the vertebrae is not a panacea for all back diseases. You need to clearly understand that in some cases stretching is useful and necessary, and in others it is contraindicated. Based on this, you should not engage in stretching exercises without the approval of a doctor or his recommendation.

In the clinic, traction is performed in the following cases, each with a number of reservations.

Cancellation of displacements and dislocations, elimination of shifts after fractures. But after traction, the elongated vertebrae are always fixed in the achieved mode. Otherwise, the procedure makes no sense and is ineffective.
For scoliosis, traction is carried out along with the rest of the treatment complex, which includes massage, gymnastic exercises, wearing a corset, and swimming. Only stretching can provoke even greater curvature and injury.
With osteochondrosis, most doctors do not practice traction, arguing that even a slight impact on the vertebrae in this situation can lead to problems in them and in the discs.
The hernia requires traction; it helps the patient avoid complex surgery and be cured non-surgically.

Spinal stretching must be done correctly

Important! For any pathology of any spinal zone, it is necessary to control the degree of traction, since each spinal segment has its own stretch limit, exceeding which will provoke a spinal injury.

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Any physical action to stretch areas of the spine has certain contraindications. They should not be ignored, because otherwise you can not only aggravate existing diseases, but also acquire new ones.

Traction with existing arthritis and complicated osteoporosis is prohibited.
It is not recommended if there is a history of hypertensive abnormalities or heart and vascular diseases.
Stretching during thrombosis is strictly prohibited.
Back stretching should be done with caution during pregnancy and menstruation.
Patients with active colds and viral diseases should also avoid stretching, especially if they are accompanied by fever.

Stretching is performed after making sure that there are no contraindications to exercise.

Advice. When performing physical therapy exercises, you do not need to overexert yourself or do something through force. If the spine “does not bend,” do the exercise to a comfortable permissible angle of deflection, gradually increasing it. If you experience any discomfort or weakness, stop exercising.

Overexertion during exercise is harmful

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Lower back stretching exercises

To begin exercises for the lower back, you need to understand why the lower back may hurt.

Stays in one position for a long time
Weak core muscles
Incorrect technique for performing strength exercises
Osteochondrosis
Excess body weight

Exercises:

Low lunge

Starting position - lunge. The knee of the back leg is on the floor. The second between the thigh and shin forms an angle of 90 degrees. Stretch your arms upward and you feel a pleasant stretch in the spine.

Body rotations

Sit on the floor. One leg is straight, we bend the second at the knee and place it behind the thigh of the second leg, and turn the torso in the opposite direction.

Bends while sitting

We remain sitting on our buttocks. Feet slightly apart, tilt your torso between your legs and stretch your arms forward.

Bends in lotus position

We sit in the lotus position. We bend to the side. We place one hand on the floor for support, and with the other hand we stretch to the side.

Exercise with a towel roller

With its help you can relieve tension from your lower back, and you don’t have to go to the store for a roller. The roller can be made from a towel. Take a towel and roll it into a sausage-shaped roll. Then place it on the floor and lie down on it. It should be in the lumbar region.

Quadratus lumborum stretch

We stand straight, raise our arms up. We alternately reach up, as if we were reaching for something, for example, an apple.

Sun salutation exercise

This exercise allows you to stretch your lower back as safely as possible. To do this, you need to stand up, stretch your arms up, as if trying to reach the sun. After this, bend at the spine, trying to touch the floor. Next, sit on the floor, bend your lower back and aim your head towards the ceiling. After this, lean on your hands, place one leg under your knee, stand in the “dog looking at the floor” pose, again place your leg under the knee, stand, bending your body as low as possible and straighten your spine gradually, from the lowest vertebra to the highest.

Back stretching exercises

Side bends (on the right and left side) from a standing position.

Stand up straight, hands on your waist, feet shoulder-width apart. We bend to the side.

Pulling for tone on the horizontal bar

The horizontal bar can be used from a wall bars or simply mounted from the wall. Hang on the horizontal bar, relax as much as possible, this way you stretch your spine.

Mill

Legs wider than shoulders. Hands are spread to the sides. Bend your torso forward and twist your back, your arms making a milling motion.

Downward facing dog

We bend our torso and rest our hands on the floor. We pull him and his head towards his feet.

Fetal position

Sit with your pelvis on your legs, put your stomach on your knees, head between your knees, hands on the floor.

Latissimus dorsi stretch

Approach the wall, raise your hand and rest your forearm against the wall and begin to lean your body forward.

Thus, by performing these back stretching exercises for home, you will save not only your time but also money. Since these basic exercises can be easily performed at home, and the technique is not difficult to master, the main desire is.

Complex for strengthening muscles

The lumbar region is exposed to various loads and negative influences every day, so modern people should take care of strengthening it. To do this, it is recommended to pay attention to training for 20-30 minutes a day. Any lesson begins with a thorough warm-up, so that a sufficient amount of blood gets into the lower back and sacral region, and prepares the muscle tissue for the upcoming loads. A strengthening complex may include the following types of exercises:

Pulling a block to the waist while sitting. The approach is performed using a special simulator. The process involves a large muscle mass, the pectoral and latissimus dorsi muscles. During the process, it is important to hold the handle correctly so that your palms face each other. It’s tedious to start with minimal weight.
Deadlift with dumbbells. You should lean forward, keeping your legs straight, the dumbbells in your hands freely lowering down. Slowly, without sudden movements, keeping your back straight, you should straighten up. Do several repetitions.
Hyperextension. The exercise involves the use of a special simulator, but the work is carried out with your own body weight. Focusing on your lower torso and shins, you should straighten your arms in front of you and cross them; as you exhale, the body lowers, and as you inhale, it rises.
Lie on your stomach, extend your arms and place them at the level of your buttocks, and while inhaling, simultaneously raise your upper body and legs. Hold for a few seconds and then return to the starting position.

It is not practical to buy a machine for every exercise, so it is recommended to visit the nearest gym. This will be useful for beginners, since all approaches can be controlled by a specialist, which will eliminate mistakes.

Exercises on the horizontal bar to stretch the spine

If you have a horizontal bar or wall bars with a horizontal bar, there are a number of exercises you can do for your back.

Hanging on a horizontal bar with a platform

Feet are on the platform. We hang on the horizontal bar with our hands. Relax your core muscles and keep your feet on the platform.

Hanging on the horizontal bar with the body turned to the side

You need to hang on the horizontal bar, relax, and alternate turns of your torso from side to side.

Hanging on the horizontal bar

Just hang on the horizontal bar and relax your core muscles as much as possible.

Do not be afraid that after stretching your back hurts in the cervical or thoracic spine. If, after reading the above, you have not found any contraindications and your doctor allows you to play sports, then pain in the muscles of the cervical spine or stretching of the thoracic spine does not harm your body. And pain occurs only when the muscles are overstretched. The muscles are not accustomed to this type of training. They are too stiff and will take time to improve flexibility.

Find out how rhythmic gymnastics athletes stretch

Now that you know the exercises with which you can make your body elastic and flexible, you can safely start training. But before that, I would like to tell you how gymnasts stretch during training.

You don't have to be a gymnast to train exactly according to their workouts. With these exercises you can easily make your body more flexible and elastic, and also get rid of back pain if you have a sedentary lifestyle, or if you want to do the splits. If you think that exercises for rhythmic gymnastics are different from other sports or in stretching centers, then not at all. There are a number of exercises that are used in all sports and even if you just decide to practice at home.

Every athlete does a warm-up before training, and you need to stretch not only the part of the body that you want, but also perform exercises to stretch your legs, back, and arms, then you will not get injured. And since everything in our body is interconnected, that is, when performing exercises on one muscle group, others will also be involved. The warm-up includes basic exercises that can be used to warm up the muscles of the body. It is the majority of gymnasts who do not complain of back pain.

fold
Bridge
Fetal position
Forward bends
Split exercises
Butterfly
Stretching the neck muscles (bending to the sides and sides)
Cobra pose
Back turns
Back stretch on the wall bars

How to properly stretch your lower back

The lower back needs protection, as people who do not play sports very often incorrectly load this area and suffer injuries and sprains.

The main function of the spine is to keep the body straight.

Frequent sitting reduces muscle tone, including the lower back. Stretching regularly can relieve tension. Since more elastic muscles are less susceptible to stress and injury, this can have a preventive effect on the spine.

The essence of stretching the lower back is to reduce muscle tone and bring them to a state of rest. The main goal of proper stretching is:

formation of a muscle corset;
elimination of pain;
muscle relaxation;
reducing discomfort when standing for long periods or staying in the same position;
increasing the body's endurance;
relief and prevention of protrusions and hernias;
improving body flexibility.

Due to the fact that not every person can afford to stretch the lower back, due to physical reasons, there are special sets of exercises even for such people.