Weekly Health Talk with Dr. P: Stretch for Low Back & Hamstrings

Morning. Alright, so what we're going to talk about today is just a stretch a flexion stretch if you hang. A lot of people do this and they just feel so good, “Oh it just feels like stretches my back out”. First I don't want you doing this in the morning unless you've been seen and trained and know you're doing it right. But the standing stretch can be great for the hamstrings, can be great for everything and people just tend to standing stretch and they'll do that. So, if you're going to do it let's do it as more right as we can. Um, don't advise it but there are some backs, hyperlyrdotic, spinal aesthetic, all these types of backs that need this. Not everybody, and the majority don't, but man they gravitate to it and they want to feel it. So, let's do it as right as we can. If you're going to standing stretch, I want you to assume a position here. I want you to assume a flat back, get your back as flat as you can and just hang and just get to that position. Right now you'll feel that in your hamstrings, maybe a little lower back but then I want you to slide your hands down and chin down, hang. And when you get here, you're going to feel that in your hamstrings and your lower back, feels good. Take a deep breath, let it out. The only time you're allowed to stretch and the hands go lower is when you take a deep breath and stretch on the breath out. All right so here's the big one. Coming up,  coming up there's two ways to do this safely. Get your knees put your hands and assume the squat position and come straight up. People don't tend to do that, they just come rolling back up. All right if we're gonna roll back up let's do it right. So, we assume the flat, what we call a flat back position, just hands roll down and chin down and hang. Okay, enjoy the hang. You only stretch on the breath out, so if we're gonna roll up I want your chin in, I want your butt squeezed, and I want you to learn to roll up with your hips and your butt squeezed. All right, do not use your back you've just stretched it. I don't want you engaging it bringing it up. So again, do it with me. Flat back, stay in this, hands roll down and hang chin to chest. Remember, take deep breath let it out. You'll feel your gain a little bit and ultimately if I kept doing this, I probably could hit reach the floor but for time constraints let's come up. Squeeze thighs, squeeze glutes, chin to chest, squeeze back, squeeze your butt, roll up with your butt, squeeze and roll up. Okay so you keep hearing me say something this thing when you squeeze your tail and you squeeze your thighs together you'll come up with your hips and you're going to learn more and more how to engage those. Keeps coming back to hips; if you want to save your back, you're going to learn to use this area right here more. People have a lot of problems with that and lost the ability because bad habits developed over time so you've got to undo those and you've got to practice it on a daily basis. Well, we've already covered all that. So, remember if you're going to do this standing flexion stretch there's ways to do it right and you can do this also sitting but it's the same concept if you want to get the stretch, only stretch when you breathe out and you'll find you'll feel those muscles stretching a little bit more and don't force it. All right so standing stretch, have a good day bye.