Flexibility & Stretching!

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ssstefanieee
ssstefanieee Posts: 80 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I grew up cheerleading and a few years ago went to the chiropractor for back pain..he suggested much of my pain was due to being inflexible specifically in my hip flexors. Recently a lot of the back pain has come back, which I am thinking is a red flag to work on my flexibility and stretching!

So what do you do? How do you incorporate stretching into your workout routine?? Any tips/specific stretches anyone can suggest to increase flexibility...especially in the legs?

I always do the warm-up cool down stretching that is in whatever workout DVD I am doing...but I am looking to add more

Thanks xoxo

Replies

  • yoginimary
    yoginimary Posts: 6,784 Member
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    I'm guessing your back pain is in the lower back. Do you sit all day? That can cause the hip flexors to tighten (basically when you are in a chair your hip flexors are engaged to keep your torso lifted, then you "rest" into your lower back.

    Chances are, if you were a cheerleader, you are quite flexible. If you can do the side splits, your hip flexor is plenty stretched. If you are tight, try some of these:
    http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/finder/anatomical_focus/hips
    and especially this one:
    http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/2494

    Hope that helps.
  • DaveJ_43
    DaveJ_43 Posts: 139 Member
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    The best thing you can do for your body - take up yoga. It is a wonderful way to get flexibility as well as strength, peace of mind and a balanced soul. You can start at home with DVDs or webcasts, and getting to classes is very beneficial - an instructor can make adjustments just for you. You can find some good deals if you look for them. Most studios offer free and/or reduced price classes. Good luck. It's great that you are focusing on flexibility - its a key component to maintaining a healthy body.
  • End6ame
    End6ame Posts: 903
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    Barbell squats below parallel are great for stretching your hip flexors. Be sure to sit back in the squat as far as you can.
  • duncanryan
    duncanryan Posts: 122 Member
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    I'm not sure that tight hip flexors are the only source of your back pain. It could be that there is an imbalance between length and strength of your hamstrings and hip flexors. Knowing that you have a history of cheerleading, I'm not surprised that you have back pain. Did stretching your hip flexors relieve your pain before? You may consider seeing a physician for an x-ray of your spine or a physical therapist to evaluate your movement patterns to understand whether or not your hip flexors are the cause of your pain.
  • ssstefanieee
    ssstefanieee Posts: 80 Member
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    I'm guessing your back pain is in the lower back. Do you sit all day? That can cause the hip flexors to tighten (basically when you are in a chair your hip flexors are engaged to keep your torso lifted, then you "rest" into your lower back.

    Chances are, if you were a cheerleader, you are quite flexible. If you can do the side splits, your hip flexor is plenty stretched. If you are tight, try some of these:
    http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/finder/anatomical_focus/hips
    and especially this one:
    http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/2494

    Hope that helps.

    thanks for the links!
  • ssstefanieee
    ssstefanieee Posts: 80 Member
    Options
    The best thing you can do for your body - take up yoga. It is a wonderful way to get flexibility as well as strength, peace of mind and a balanced soul. You can start at home with DVDs or webcasts, and getting to classes is very beneficial - an instructor can make adjustments just for you. You can find some good deals if you look for them. Most studios offer free and/or reduced price classes. Good luck. It's great that you are focusing on flexibility - its a key component to maintaining a healthy body.

    Awesome suggestion, I was actually contemplating adding some yoga in too...
  • ssstefanieee
    ssstefanieee Posts: 80 Member
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    Barbell squats below parallel are great for stretching your hip flexors. Be sure to sit back in the squat as far as you can.

    Thanks, I'll try these
  • ssstefanieee
    ssstefanieee Posts: 80 Member
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    I'm not sure that tight hip flexors are the only source of your back pain. It could be that there is an imbalance between length and strength of your hamstrings and hip flexors. Knowing that you have a history of cheerleading, I'm not surprised that you have back pain. Did stretching your hip flexors relieve your pain before? You may consider seeing a physician for an x-ray of your spine or a physical therapist to evaluate your movement patterns to understand whether or not your hip flexors are the cause of your pain.

    Surprisingly a good stretch, or feeling stretched will alleviate a lot of my pain. It is mainly lower back, some in my sholders..but I've also been told during massage therapy that I most likely "hold" a lot of my stress and tension in that reigon. I went to my PCP and they suggested muscle relaxors..I'm not against medicine just looking for a more natural way to relieve the pain
  • Bronx_Montgomery
    Bronx_Montgomery Posts: 2,287 Member
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    I recommend doing Yoga into your routine at last once a week. My gf and I do it on our off days and it helps out a lot.
  • ssstefanieee
    ssstefanieee Posts: 80 Member
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    I recommend doing Yoga into your routine at last once a week. My gf and I do it on our off days and it helps out a lot.

    I'm going to put it in one day a week..will that be enough? Also do you guys take a class or use a DVD?
  • Johnsweaver
    Johnsweaver Posts: 46 Member
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    Having a strong posterior chain (hams, glutes, extensors) has always helped my back pain. Deep squats and dead lifts made it disappear. Sometimes back pain can be cause by your abs being more developed than the opposing muscles in your back which pulls your posture out of whack. YMMV
  • irridia
    irridia Posts: 528 Member
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    I have lots of hip flexor issues and when my PT (physical therapist) started treating them, it really helped. I have found that stretching the flexors is difficult at best. I have found one stretch that really works well for me. Start on all fours, then move one knee behind the other so that your calves are touching, stay in that position for a few breaths then lower your self to your forarms. Staty there for a few breaths and then extend your arms and touch your forhead to the floor. If it hurts at any point, stop and go back to the previous position. Switch legs and repeat. I usually do this prior to crossing leg over body one where you keep your shoulders flat to the floor. Warrior followed by triangle is also very benificial.

    You may also want to investigate whether one hip is forward in relation to the other. Lay flat on the ground and feel your hip bones, if one feels further forward than the other then place that leg under a stablity ball wthe other on top and squeeze your legs together as you exhale and contract your transverse abdomimis. hold for a few seconds and don't exert too much effort, do it about 3 times and check alignment each time.

    then there is the ITB syndrome. It's mostly ligament and it goes from your hips to your knee and it can get tight and lumpy, (the lumps are contracted unhappy muscle. Foam roller *sigh*.

    The key of permanent resolution (as I was told by my PT) is to strenthen the psoas and the transverse abdominus. I will try to find a link to good exercises to post later.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,594 Member
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    Tight hamstrings are the usual culprit. Start there.
  • countrygirl_717
    countrygirl_717 Posts: 204
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    I do the Stretch 40 from Turbo Fire at least once per week, and then extra if I feel the need. Yoga is definitely the way to go!

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