Are you in Canada? Click here to proceed to the HK Canada website.

For all other locations, click here to continue to the HK US website.

Human Kinetics Logo

Purchase Courses or Access Digital Products

If you are looking to purchase online videos, online courses or to access previously purchased digital products please press continue.

Mare Nostrum Logo

Purchase Print Products or eBooks

Human Kinetics print books and eBooks are now distributed by Mare Nostrum, throughout the UK, Europe, Africa and Middle East, delivered to you from their warehouse. Please visit our new UK website to purchase Human Kinetics printed or eBooks.

Feedback Icon Feedback Get $15 Off

FREE SHIPPING!

Free shipping for orders over $99

Need to access your Online Course or Ebook?

Relieve the stiff lumbar spine

This is an excerpt from Therapeutic Stretching by Jane Johnson.

Stiff Lumbar Spine

The lumbar region may become stiff for reasons similar to those causing stiffness in other regions of the spine, namely immobility or after injury. Many of the active and passive stretches in the section on sub-acute low back strain may be helpful. Additional stretches may be useful, and these are described below.

Active stretches

In addition to the stretches shown in the section for sub-acute low back strain (figures 7.26 through 7.30), clients may benefit from this supine rotatory stretch (figure 7.40) and this seated rotatory stretch (figure 7.41), using the upper limb to increase the stretch in each example.

Passive stretches

Popular methods of stretching the soft tissues of the lumbar area, especially quadratus lumborum, are to apply gentle overpressure to the client as she rests in a position of rotation whilst supine (figure 7.42) or, more dramatically, in a side-lying position, sometimes with a small towel beneath the waist (figure 7.43). To increase the stretch further, the client could be positioned, with caution, on a gym ball (figure 7.44). Not all clients with a stiff low back will feel comfortable in these positions, and such clients may need to emphasize active stretches in their programmes.

Read more from Therapeutic Stretching by Jane Johnson.

More Excerpts From Therapeutic Stretching