Protect Your Back By Lengthening Your Hamstrings

Short hamstrings and even short calves can contribute to intermittent back pain and stiffness, as a shortened posterior chain creates a constant downward pull on the pelvis, predisposing the tissues that surround the spine to sprains and strains.

With most of us sitting for many hours each day with our posterior chain contracted, it's highly worthwhile to stretch the hamstrings and calves on a daily basis.

The cane used in the beginning of this video can be found here:

https://amzn.to/2Oi1IxT

It's actually designed to allow for self massage of trigger points through the upper back and shoulder region as shown in this video:

https://youtu.be/7lApT1erKC0

A more active way of lengthening the posterior chain is to do Cossack or side-to-side squats, which are demonstrated in the following lower body mobility and balance routine:

https://youtu.be/PeqcdZf41V4

For an overview of exercise progressions that you can work at to improve your mobility and balance in a systematic way, please feel free to visit our Mobility Exercise Progressions page here:

https://drbenkim.com/mobility-exercises-progressions.htm

For suggestions on how to set up a simple workout area at home, please feel free to view:

https://drbenkim.com/equipment-home-gym.htm