Hey everybody, it's Doctor Jo. I just got an email the other day, and somebody said
that they were doing extension and rotation stretches at physical therapy, and they couldn't
remember exactly how to do them correctly. So what we're gonna do today is we're gonna
do some extension and rotation stretches for our back. So the first one I'm gonna have
you do is an extension and so we're gonna roll over on our stomachs right now, so here
we go. We're gonna roll over onto our tummies. I'm gonna pull down my shirt so hopefully
my fanny's not showing. Now the first thing that you're gonna do is you're gonna prop
up on your elbows. This is the one that's the least amount of pressure on your back
so this is probably the one you want to try first, and if it feels ok, then you can progress
to the next step. The key with this on your elbows is you want to bring your stomach down
to the ground. You don't wanna be arched up, but you want those hips to be flat on the
floor. And as you can guess it's gonna be, you're gonna do it 3 times for 30 seconds.
But if it feels good and it feels comfortable, you can even do this for a while in the evening
if you're reading a book or watching TV this is gonna stretch out your back. So you're
just sitting like this. Kind of relaxing your hips and letting them roll onto the ground.
So the next progression is if this feels good and it's feeling like it's not quite stretching
as much, or you stretched it out and now you want to try a little bit more. What you're
gonna do now is you're gonna push up all the way up onto your arms. And straighten out
your arms. Same kind of thing, though, you want to try to keep those hips on the ground.
You don't want to push up like that, that's not gonna get that back extension that you
need. You really want to roll those hips down and feel that stretch. If you have somebody
at home, they can actually push down on your back a little bit right there to help you
get that extension stretch. I'm sure you can guess how long you're gonna do it. 3 times
for 30 seconds. Alright so those are some of the extensions, now let's do a couple of
rotations. So I'm gonna have you roll over onto your back, pull your shirt down again.
And what you're gonna do is this is gonna be a progression again. You're just gonna
gently roll your legs to one side as much as you comfortably can, trying to keep your
hips down. And roll back to the other side. Now you can do this either 10 times back and
forth, or as you can guess, you can hold it for 30 seconds and do 3 on each side. Whichever
one's more comfortable for you. So this is gonna get a little bit of rotation in that
lumbar spine back there. And you're just gonna roll back and forth. Now if that feels good
and it doesn't hurt. Then you can progress it a little bit more, so you're actually going
to bring your bottom leg down to the ground. The top leg you're gonna pick it up and pull
it to about a 90 degree angle and drop it down to the side. And that's gonna really
get a good stretch. Sometimes you'll feel a little pop in your back. As long as it's
not painful, that's ok. Same kind of thing. You're gonna stretch here for 30 seconds.
If this feels good, you can actually put your hand on top and give yourself a little bit
more pressure down through there. And then you're gonna slowly come back up. And then
rotate back to the other side. Leg down, bringing your other leg about 90 degrees, drop it down.
And if that's easy, push a little bit. 30 seconds, 3 times each. Alright, for the last
one, it's gonna be a standing stretch. So what I'm gonna have you do is I'm gonna have
you stand on up. So the last stretch that I'm gonna show you is an extension stretch
again. And so all you're gonna do, is you're gonna kind of put your hands on your hips
for a little bit of guidance. And you're gonna lean back and get that stretch. Now remember,
you don't want to bend your knees and go back like that, that's not quite stretching your
back. You really want to rotate at those hips. So kind of put your hands there, and just
lean back. I bet you can guess how many times you're gonna do it, yep 3 times for 30 seconds.
No remember, you want to go back, you want to feel some tension, that stretch in there,
but you don't want it to be painful. You never want your stretches to be painful. You never
want to feel like your muscles are gonna pop. You want that good hurt. Like "oh, it's hurts,
but it feels good because I know it's doing something." Alright so there you have it,
those were your back extension and rotation stretches. So if you liked them, please click
the like button and leave us a comment. And remember if you want to see more exercise
videos, or even some educational videos, please check me out at AskDoctorJo.com. So remember,
be safe, have fun, and I hope you feel better soon.