Good Stretches for Real Life - Functional Stretching

How to Stretch Smarter, Stretch Healthier
Good Stretching, Fixing Bad Stretching

© Jolie Bookspan, MEd, PhD, FAWM
Director, Neck and Back Pain Sports Medicine
and the Academy of Functional Exercise Medicine

Dr. Bookspan's methods to fix injuries and improve training- are used by military and top rehab centers around the world.
Harvard Medical School clinicians named her, "The St. Jude of the Joints."

Exercise is Medicine? Not All Exercise is Good Medicine. Not All Medicine is Healthy.

Here is How To Make Exercise Healthy Medicine. This short article shows you how to quickly stop several common sources of pain and chronic dysfunction that come from conventional exercises and stretches. It makes no sense to make health problems from things you do for your health.

It's not health care if it's not healthy. No health insurance needed for this exciting change in health care. I have developed information through years of research in the lab, and put it here on my web site for the benefit of the world. Get better and the world will be better.

To make this an easy summary for you, much is shortened.
The book Stretching Smarter Stretching Healthier tells more, with
limited Classes to train with me directly. Certification possible for top students.
Use this quick summary to get better now, and the book and classes to fill in the rest. Be Prepared To Stretch Your Brain.

People argue over who is right about health topics, sometimes with unhealthful mental state. They argue things they have never actually seen, such as muscle stretch receptors or muscle fibers or discs. Things they read or heard from someone else, who read or heard them from someone else, who had also not actually seen them. Even medical books are often written by people who have not researched it (in a laboratory themselves), but popular consensus (repeated what everyone else says). Doing "medical research" does not mean "read it in a book." I am the researcher who studies why conventional stretches are not preventing injuries, and worked years to see what do to instead.

Flexibility training is often thought to reduce injuries. The actual number of injuries show that stretching isn't as preventive as hoped.

The reason seems to be how people stretch, then how they move during exercise and daily life.

Instead of "doing" a bunch of artificial strained movements called stretches and exercises, check how you move, bend, sit, reach, and live in real life. Stretches should be functional, which means how you move in real life.

This article shows the concepts:

Stretches That Make You Tighter
After rounding forward all day over the computer, desk, steering wheel, handlebars, and backpack, more forward rounding for stretches and exerecises is not healthful or needed.

A habit that is at the root of much pain and tightness is that many people do most or all of their stretches by bending forward. They touch toes, bring knee to chest, hang forward at the waist, bring arm forward over the body, lunge forward, do "PIlates hundreds" and the many other bent forward Pilates and yoga moves, and other forward bending stretches. The back pain articles on this web site describe the problems that all this forward bending causes to the muscles, bones, and discs of your back.

All the forward stretching does stretch your back, but the muscles back there are already too long and overstretched. The muscles in front - in the chest and the front of the shoulder get shorter and tighter.

After bending forward over a computer all day,
you don't need more forward bending as a stretch

The result is common - people lose the flexibility needed to simply stand up straight. This often results in chronic low-grade aches, injury, and wear and tear from habitual unhealthy positioning.

Test Yourself

Can you lie down flat face up without a pillow under your head or knees and be comfortable?
Stand against a wall with the back of your head, shoulders, hip, and heels touching, as in the figure at far right in the drawing below.

You can test your posture and correct it when you pass a doorway or take an elevator

1. Are your back and shoulders too rounded forward, or your hip too tight in front to comfortably stand against the wall (first figure at left)?
2. Do you overarch your lower back or lean back (second figure from right)?
3. Does your head chin jut forward or lift up (first three figures from left)?
4. Do you have to overarch the lower back and lift your chin to touch your head (#4)?
5. Straight position should feel natural. If not, use the two stretches that follow.

Good Stretches for Your Real Life
To have the upper body flexibility just to stand up straight, use two main stretches:

1. Chest (pectoral muscle) Stretch. Face a wall with one arm bent to the side. Elbow at around ear height. Inside of arm touches wall. Turn your body away from the wall so that the wall gently braces the elbow back. Feel the stretch in the front chest muscles. Don't hunch or tighten the shoulder. Hold a few seconds on each side. Drop arms and test to see if you did it effectively with the wall test (standing against the wall again). Muscle length should now be more comfortable, making it possible to stand straight, with heels, hip, back and the back of the head touching. Do this first thing in the morning, before exercise, and throughout the day to restore healthy shoulder and head positioning. Use this instead of pulling one arm across the front of your body. I call that the "round shoulder exercise." You do not need more length to already over-rounded shoulders.

Use a wall or doorway to gently pull your elbow back until you feel the front
of your chest stretch pleasantly Hold a few seconds and switch sides.

2. Trapezius (top of shoulder) Stretch. Stand straight, placing one hand behind the opposite hip, as if in an opposite pants pocket. Tilt head toward the hand, stretching the side of the neck, body and, as you slide the other hand down toward the knee, the side of the hip. Keep the back of your head and body against a wall at first to learn where straight position is. Do both sides for a few seconds each. Keep breathing. Don't lean forward. Try the "wall stand" test again to see if you did this stretch right. It should become even more comfortable and possible. If not, check how you are doing these stretches. They are designed to make a positive change then and there.

Restore Muscle Length To Make Healthy Posture Comfortable and Possible
When lying on your back (face up, flat on the floor or other flat surface), can you lie comfortably without lifting your chin or craning your neck?
When lying on your back, can you put your arms on the floor over your head without arching your back and lifting your ribs?
When lying on your back), can you bend your elbows with hands against the floor, as if in "a stick-up?"
Many people are so round-shouldered that this is uncomfortable or impossible. Use the two stretches above.

More Good Stretches
Of many good stretches, main areas to stretch for health and posture are the anterior shoulder and chest as described above, plus the the ones that follow:

Upper Body
3. Upper Back Stretch. Lie on your back with a small pillow under the upper back at the shoulder blades (not neck and extend back (unround) the upper spine. It should feel good, not hurt. Then change it to put the pillow vertically between your shoulders. Retract shoulders to the floor over this roll to "unround" the upper back without arching your lower back. Click Quick, Feel-Good Upper Back and Chest Stretch to see this stretch featured on my health column The FItness Fixer.

4. Upper Back Extension. Lie face down, hands at sides, and off the floor. Slowly lift your upper body a few inches, then lower. Feel the lift from the upper chest, not by lifting your chin. This upper back extension is an effective strengthener that combines range of motion. As you progress, move your hands to the side, then overhead. If it hurts, you may be too tight or doing it wrong. Back extension is important to teach your back muscles how to hold themselves up, not rounded. It is a good exercise because it also unloads the discs while working the muscles. Bending forward loads the discs. back extension is a better exercise than standing on knees and hands, and lifting one leg and arm.

Hip and Thigh
Tight muscles in front of your hip, common in people who sit a lot, change the normal angle of your hip and low back, inhibiting normal standing, walking, and running, adding a large share of low back pain. Look at fitness magazines and see that many people are pictured bent forward at the hip when standing. This is bad posture and a tight hip.

5. The lunge, described in the full-length back pain article is an important functional stretch for the front of the hip and thigh, Achilles tendon, and foot. Tuck your hip under so it is vertical from leg to waist (left drawing), not tilted forward in front (right drawing Feel the stretch move to the front of the hip flexor (muscle that bends your hip forward). This is the muscle that gets tight from sitting and doing hip bending exercises like Pilates.

Keep weight centered over both legs (happy first drawing)
not leaning over front knee (second figure who is not happy). The stretch comes from changing the forward tilt to the hip (right) to straight (left).

6. Hip. TIght front hip causes many problems. A quick feel-good stretch for the front of the hip is to lie face up on a bed or bench with hips right at the edge. Let legs stretch downward off the bed, feet dangling, or on the floor. Feel the stretch in the front of the hip (not lower back). If your lower back pinches, you are arching it. Stop arching by pressing lower back more toward the bed. Feel the stretch move to front hip. Click Fast Fitness - Quick Relaxing Hip Stretch to see this stretch on the fitness column:

To stretch the deeper front hip muscles, lie face up on the floor with both knees bent, both feet on the floor. Cross one ankle on the opposite knee. Gently press the crossed knee away.

To stretch back hip muscles, cross ankle as above. Notice which direction the raised foot is facing. Slide the other foot (the one on the floor or bed) and knee in that direction. To see this stretch on the Fitness Fixer column, click Fast Fitness - Better Posterior Hip Stretch
For this same stretch in a chair, sit up, one ankle crossed over other knee. Press the crossed knee down. Arch your entire back and lift your head up, chin in as you lean slightly forward.

7. Lower Back Extension. An effective low back and hip strengthener that includes a functional stretch is prone (lying face down) back extension. Lie face down, hands under chin or at your sides. Slowly lift legs a few inches, then lower. Keep knees straight. Or start by doing one leg at a time, then progressing to both. Lower back extension is a good way to help your hip muscles lengthen while working. Most people only bend forward at the hip to exercise, making a tighter hip, more likely to hurt. Back extension has the benefit of unloading the discs. Bending forward puts much load on them. Extension relieves this. This is one of several reasons why back extension is a far better exercise than standing on hands and knees and lifting a leg and arm.

8. Quadriceps Stretch. To stretch your quadriceps (front thigh muscles) while standing, hold one foot behind you. The difference comes when you tuck your hip to neutral. Allowing the lower back to overarch will reduce, even lose the stretch. Push your foot away into your hand, don't pull your foot in to your behind.
- To stretch quadriceps lying down, curl on one side, both knees bent in front. Extend the top leg behind you, foot in hand. Keep the bottom knee bent in front.

9. Hamstrings
It is well documented that bending forward from a stand overloads your lower back discs. It doesn't become healthy by calling it a stretch.
- To stretch your hamstrings without pressuring the discs in your back and neck, lie on the floor and lift one leg. Keep the other leg straight on the floor. Keep your shoulders and neck relaxed on the floor. Don't round your back and call it a leg stretch.

Trainers often say to bend the bottom leg to "protect" your back,
but you lose a good stretch that way, and can easily protect your back
by using your own muscles to properly position yourself

- Notice if your anterior (front) hip is so tight that the leg on the floor lifts too. Stretch your anterior hip with lunges, described earlier, so that you can stretch your leg without straining other parts.

Notice if you crane your neck or let your bottom leg be pulled up
RElearn how to straighten out. Needed for real life when standing. You don't want to practice a stretch in a position that is unhealthful when standing.

- To stretch your hamstrings while standing, face a wall. Stand on one foot and and press the bottom of the other foot against the wall directly in front of you. Aim about knee to hip height. The key to this stretch is to keep the standing foot straight forward, not turned out. Keep the foot on the wall toe-up. Don't force or round your back.You will find you need to balance. This is good. Balance is important for real life walking, stairs, and other times when you lift one leg. If find this standing stretch difficult, that is a helpful diagnostic that you need to work on real life function. You need to have the flexibility to stand straight and not be forced into rounding when you lift one leg. Practice safely and use your brain to retrain how to stand up, raise one leg, balance, and not slump into unhealthful positions.

Achilles and Foot
Tight hip, calf, and Achilles contribute to walking "duck-footed" or toe-out. The resulting change in gait and stance may wear on ankles, knees, hips, and big toe, and contribute to bunion formation. Tight feet add to plantar fasciitis.

10. Try the lunge described the back pain article. Stand up, feet apart. Slide one foot comfortably back, keeping the foot straight not turned out. Bend knees to dip toward the floor without touching the floor. Don't let your front knee come forward. Keep front knee over ankle. Don't arch your back. Tip your hip under to prevent arching and straighten your posture. Don't lean back. Keep the hip tucked and back foot straight, not turned outward.

11. Wall Achilles. An effective and functional Achilles stretch is the Wall Achilles stretch. This is like the wall hamstring stretch described above in #9. The raised foot is lower for the Achilles stretch than the Standing Hamstring stretch. Stand facing a wall at arm's length. Arm's length will seem too close, but it is not. With both feet facing directly straight forward, not turned out, put one foot up against the wall at knee height. Stand up straight, not bending forward, and without curling your back or hip under. Look to make sure your standing foot is straight forward, not turned out, not even a little. Keep your back foot straight, not turned out or the stretch is lost.

The Wall Achilles stretch is more effective and functional than the standard "lunge and lean."
Press your heel toward the wall. The concept is to retraining this stretch to stand straight.
This stretch trains real life function - important for taking stairs and hills, keeping balance, and not slouching.

12. "Downward Dog" is an effective multi-joint stretch with body weight supported on hands, protecting the back. Put your hands and feet on the floor, hands far forward of the feet like starting a push-up, with weight mostly on hands. Keep your feet where they are, and lift hips up in the air pushing backward until your heels relax to the floor. Arch your back, rather than letting it round or hunch. Relax your head down. Keep your feet straight, not turned, weight on soles, not arches. Push your fingers forward with straight, not locked elbows. Keep your hands and feet far apart, with weight on your arms. You probably have seen dogs and cats stretch this way.

"Downward dog" rests weight on your arms, shifting the leverage point off your lower back. You stretch feet, Achilles, calf, hamstring, back, and shoulders at once. Keep your back straighter than the people above at left.

13. Daily Positioning Gives a Built-In Foot Stretch. During daily walking and movement, don't let your body weight fall inward on your arches, keep weight on the sole of the foot. Sagging arches is a stretch, but a bad one that you can avoid. Point your toes straight ahead. This prevents uneven and unhealthy stretch forces that gradually deform your feet, ankles, and knees. Make sure straight leg posture continues through your knee and hip, to prevent straightening your foot from overstraining another part.

How to Avoid Stretching Injuries
Just as not all foods are necessary or healthy, neither are several common stretches:

Remember that slouching is a stretch – a bad one. Your back and neck become overstretched, weak, and rounded. Many people stand and sit round-shouldered with forward head and poor low back posture all day. Don't compound the problem with continued forward stretching.

Shoulder stands and "the plow" in yoga, are weighted bending (flexion), reinforcing the common poor posture of forward head and round shoulders. The long ligament of the spine eventually overstretches. Overstretched ligaments do not return to normal length and cannot hold your vertebrae or discs in positions. Chronic high bending force may eventually degenerate and herniate cervical discs and promote bone spur.

Stop pulling one arm in front of your body. It is The Stretch You Need The Least

A common shoulder stretch involves bending forward with arms lifted behind you with clasped hands. Combines unsupported forward bending promoting disc degeneration/ herniation with overextension of the anterior (front) shoulder capsule.

The "hurdler's stretch" (sitting with one knee rotated and bent laterally, pictured at the beginning of this article) and yoga knee stretches involving lying back on folded, rotated knees, forcibly twist and over-lengthens the ligament on the inner side of your knee (medial collateral ligament).

Don't let anyone sit on, or press your back into rounded position or forward bending stretches.

Don't "butterfly" knees (flap up and down vigorously) when sitting with bent knees and soles of feet touching. Don't let anyone stand on or push your knees to help you stretch.

When leaning back to stretch, whether standing, sitting, or lying, keep your chin in, don't crane your neck. Stretch by reversing the outward curve of your upper back (thoracic kyphosis) to an inner curve, not craning your neck back like a Pez dispenser and promoting poor neck posture.

When sitting cross-legged, look to see if you are turning the side of your ankle. Straighten your ankle and the stretch will move more to the hip. Stretch from the hip rather than bending your ankle upward. Overstretching ligaments on the side of your ankle leaves the ankle prone to sprains.

Stretch muscles not joints. Don't force joints into such ligament laxity that they no longer "seat" properly.

When stretching one area, don't strain another. When you stretch hamstrings, don't substitute craning your neck and rounding your shoulders. When you stretch the front of your thigh by holding a bent leg behind you, don't arch your back. When stretching arms overhead, stretch from the shoulder, not from arching your back.

Change to good stretches to prevent joint injury. Unstable joints slowly wear and tear. In a sudden situation, weak, unstable joints are predisposed to pulls or dislocation.

Slouching isn't cool. Keeping muscles in lengthened positions weakens them. If you feel you need to slouch to relieve pain, see why you caused the pain to need an unhealthful antidote.

Use good healthy stretching, described in this article, to regain needed muscle length for healthy positioning. That is how stretching can benefit you in your daily life.

Try these easy principles when you stretch and feel better starting now.

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