A stretch you must do!

Banish back and knee pain

Here is a stretch that we all must do. Whether you do kettlebells, barbells, crossfit, Pilates, sports or nothing, do it. As a neuromuscular & physical therapist i think a lot of knee, hip and low back pain can be a result of a short and tight Rectus Femoris. Rec' Fem' is one of your Quad muscles.

Start with a hip flexor stretch below:

Ease into this stretch and out of it a few times. Ech time you ease into it, contract the glute of the kneeling leg, i call this Active Reciprocal Inhibition Stretching ARIS. Hold your last stretch, breathe and sink into it over the next 60 seconds. Repeat on the opposite side of the body

To progress to targeting the Rec Fem' more, lift the back foot off the ground and hold the ankle with the same side hand, eg: right ankle, right hand. Ensure you have a cushion under the kneeling kneecap for comfort.

If you find this hard to do, maybe stand up and stretch your Quads frist, the try it. If the stretch is too agressive, use a theraband or belt as a lever around the ankle. You may use ARIS style stretching here too.

Do this stretch a couple of times throughout the day for a few days and you should notice an increase in mobility and less discomfort.

Hope this helps?

www.ffireland.com