Neck And Back Stretches Perfect For Starting Out
April 20, 2012 by admin
Filed under Stretching
Article by Pat Lowe
There’s a wide array of stretching techniques that target your back and neck, many of them uncomplicated and effective. If you’re a novice attempting to relax your muscles, give these simple techniques a try.
Beginner Back Stretch: A highly effective stretch for the back is the basic back stretch. Here’s what you need to do: Standing erect, contract your abdominal muscles while you bend forward at the hips, lowering your hands to the ground. Relax the head downwards and push using the fingertips; feel the stretch in the back while you do this. Maintain this pose for 30 seconds; if you find this too difficult, build up slowly to this amount of time.
Wide Back and Shoulder Stretch: This move should follow right after the basic back stretch. With your hands remaining on the ground, place your feet wide apart and position your arms inside your legs. Lift your hands off the floor and wrap your arms around the back of your calves, then grasp your ankles. Pull gently with the hands, thus opening up the shoulders and stretching the upper back. Maintain this pose for around 30 seconds.
The Shoulder Roll: Shoulder rolls are the simplest stretches that can be done. Either sitting or standing upright, rotate your shoulders upwards, backwards, down then forward. Begin with small circles and work up to a larger movement. Do 10 circles in the backwards direction, then reverse direction and do 10 repetitions going forward.
As well, you need to be sure that you avoid movements and actions that could cause back and neck pain. Good posture is critical. And you will need to be particularly cautious whenever you’re lifting a heavy item. You will need to bend down, then use your legs instead of your back to carry the load while you lift.
The way you sleep at night also has an effect on the pain you are feeling in your neck and back. A properly supportive pillow and mattress are essential, and keep the temperature set just right to ensure that you don’t have a restless sleep. By doing a few easy stretches before you go to bed at night, you’ll loosen up your muscles and have a sound sleep.
Stretching routines are an important component of overall fitness, and they can also be effective for managing the pain of a bad back. For example, sciatica stretches are highly regarded as the best way to manage that particular condition.
