Stretch Your Butt, Save Your Life!
Want to relieve your back, buttock and hip pain?
Do you have a few minutes in a day?
If you answered yes to both of those questions, here’s what to do. Remember, small things done every day equal huge health wins!
Da Rules
Always hold the stretch position for 20 – 30 seconds. You should feel a nice, gentle stretch without pain. If you have pain, stop!
Lie on your back holding a towel or belt that is looped over the ball of your foot. Have the knee bent so you do not feel any tension in the back of your leg. Slowly straighten your knee until you feel a gentle stretch in the back of your leg. You will feel the stretch where you are the tightest (e.g. hamstring, back of knee, calf). Repeat on the other leg.
WARNING: When the sciatic nerve is irritable, painful and/or inflamed, it can feel like the muscles in the back of your leg are too tight. The mistake we often see is people are constantly trying to stretch out their hamstrings and calves (like what you see demonstrated in these pictures). The clue is that you stretch and never get anywhere. Your leg just tightens back up again soon after stretching. Even worse, it tightens up more or becomes more painful. DO NOT DO THIS!!!! Continuing to try and stretch out the back of your leg will only irritate the sciatic nerve more.
If this sounds like you, make sure to contact us and we will sort out what is wrong and what you can do to fix it. You should also reach out directly if you need some clarification on this health tip.
Love how stretching makes you feel? Grab a free copy of our Full Stretch Routine.