Ottawa Chiropractor Health and Wellness Blog

Top 5 stretches you can do until you can see your Chiropractor. 

Watch our video and see the full text explanation below. 

1) Child’s Pose 

• Start on all fours in Tabletop position
• Then stretch back, bringing your seat to rest on your heels and your belly to rest on your thighs
• Arms stay outstretched on floor in front with palms down OR bringing arms alongside with palms up
• Should feel nice stretch in lower back
• Relax here for 30sec-1 min, Breathe Deeply, Relaxing any areas of tension

MODIFICATION: Bring knees further apart

Place padding under your thighs

Rest Forehead on cushion

2) Cat/Cow Stretch

• Wake up Entire Spine & Stretch shoulders, neck and chest
• Start on all fours in Tabletop position
• Press into hands and feet (inhale) to look up, allowing belly to hang and fill w air
• Exhale, tucking chin to chest and arching spine to ceiling
• Repeat this pattern of movement , focusing on longer breaths, deepening into movements
• Repeat 5-10 x’s

MODIFICATION: wrist concerns- move hands slightly forward

Knee concerns – padding under knee 

Back concerns – don’t go as deep

3) Knee to Chest (Lying on Back)

• Relaxes Hips, Gluts, and Thighs
• Lie on back, knees bent, feet flat on floor
• Gently draw R knee towards chest, grabbing behind thigh or top of shin
• Extend other leg or keep a slight bend
• Lengthen spine all the way down to tailbone and avoid lifting your hips
• Breathe deeply, releasing any tension
• Hold 3-5 breath cycles, deepening with each exhale
• Repeat other leg

MODIFICATION: cushion under head                                

Strap/belt around leg

4) Piriformis Stretch

• Works Piriformis mm(found deep under gluts), This stretch helps relieve pain& tightness in gluts and low back
• Lie on back, knees bent, feet flat on floor
• Place R ankle on L thigh
• Place hands behind L thigh and GENTLY bring thigh to chest until you feel a stretch
• Hold 3-5 breath cycles, deepening with each exhale
• MODIFICATION: If really tight – Keep L foot on floor, cushion under head
• If want deeper stretch – push away R knee
• ALTERNATE POSITION: SEATED
• Lift seat and bring towards heel, then gently push away R knee
• REMEMBER to do opposite side!

Wall Angel with Chin Tuck

• Opens Shoulders and arms, strengthens neck muscles, combats tech neck and stress posture
• Standing back against wall, feet 1-2 feet in front
• Yoga block/pillow or empty box behind shoulder blades
• Pelvic tilt, core engaged
• Open arms, slowly fanning arms imagining elbows and hands are touching wall
• Do a couple passes of this movement, then rest arms at sides
• Keeping core engaged, shoulders open and down, Carefully draw chin in bringing back of head towards wall
• Now imagine a string attached to top of your head pulling your head up, elongating neck
• Then retract head back further as if making a double chin (don’t worry it won’t stay like that!)
• Relaxing gently to neutral (not ostrich position), Repeat Chin tuck 3-5 more times