Stretches
Scalenes Stretch
- Start by either lying down or sitting in a chair.
- Place your right hand under your bottom and sit on it. This holds the shoulder down so you can stretch your neck without raising the shoulder.
- Tilt your head to the left bringing your left ear towards your left shoulder. If you don’t feel much of a stretch, bring your left hand up to LIGHTLY pull your head down towards the left more.
- Hold for 10 breaths.
- Repeat this stretch tilting the head slightly in front of and behind the shoulder as well.
- See picture above.
Gluteal & ITB stretches
Hip Stretch (Gluteal Stretch)
- Begin sitting on the floor with both legs straight out in front of you.
- Bend your right knee and place the right foot over the left leg and stand it on the floor outside your left hip. The right knee will point directly up at the ceiling.
- Exhale and rotate your torso to the right. Press the right hand against the floor just behind your right buttock, and set your left upper arm on the outside of your right thigh near the knee. Pull your front torso and inner right thigh snugly together.
- Exhale and twist further. Continue the twist of the torso by turning it to the right and turn your head so you’re looking over the right shoulder.
- Stay in the pose for several breaths. Inhale and untwist. Change sides.
Don’t overdo a stretch, only ever stretch to resistance, not so much that it hurts.
Hold the stretch once you reach resistance, then let go, try again and you might find you have more range of movement.
Never bounce with a stretch and don’t forget to breath!!
Iliotibial Band (ITB) stretch
Place the leg you want to stretch behind the other one. Keep the foot on the floor and push your hips out to the other side until a stretch is felt in the outer hip and along the ITB. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat 5 times.
Make sure you don’t bounce with this stretch. Take your time to ease into the stretch gently and remember to keep breathing!
You can also lean forwards onto a table to help with balance and to increase the stretch.
Seated Hip Push Stretch (Gluteal Stretch)
Sit with one knee bent and across with your ankle resting on the other thigh. Grip one hand onto the foot with the other hand on the opposite thigh. Gently enhance the stretch by pushing down on the thigh and pulling your foot towards you, hold for 3 seconds and then relax. Perform 10 repetitions, three times per day.
Pec Stretches
Stand with one arm against the corner of a wall or the edge of a doorframe. Using the edge push the head of the humerus bone backwards (this minimises the stress on the anterior capsule) and turn your head in the opposite direction to intensify the stretch.
Retract (bring shoulder blades together) and depress (lower towards the ground) the scapula (shoulder blade).
Another way to stretch the pectoralis major and the minor, is to move your arms up the door frame and push through, retracting and depressing with each push through.
This is another quick and easy pec stretch you can do anywhere, no wall or doorway required!
