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Stretch Out Body Pains

Five Most Common Body Pains

1. Lower back

Weather you suffer from sciatica, sacroiliac impingement, or general lower back pain, excessive external rotation of the hip joint is often the major cause. Many people walk with their feet turned out often resulting in this very painful condition. By training the inner thigh muscles of the adductor brevis, longus, and magnus, as well as the hamstring, this group of internal hip rotators will eliminate that chronic pain in the butt.


  • Lying-bent knee-internal rotation

2. Shoulder

Shoulder pain often originates from an acute injury or fall. However, often times the pain we feel is a result of our sleeping habits or poor posture. The muscles of the posterior shoulder girdle are responsible for a strong stable position of the shoulder. The Mid-fiber traps, rhomboids, infraspinatus, and teres minor muscles have the important job of pulling our shoulders back and down, allowing for proper blood flow and nerve conduction through the shoulder and arm. By training the external shoulder rotators and scapulae protractors, you can rid yourself of the pain of bursitis, impingement syndrome and rotator cuff damage.


  • Standing-bent elbow-external rotation


Because of weak shoulder girdle muscles, the upper trap and levator scapulae muscles of the neck often become chronically contracted. Because these muscles insert into a band of connective tissue that surrounds the head, tension in those muscles can often lead to chronic headaches and migraines, not to mention major pain in the neck.


  • Diagonal neck stretch

4. Hip flexors

Many people spend their days sitting in a chair behind a desk. This seated position leads to a tightening of the rectus femoris and iliopsoas hip flexor muscles. Once standing, this position often produces an anterior pelvic tilt causing pressure and pain in both the lower back and neck.


  • Lunging hip flexor stretch

5. Hamstrings

Many people spend their days working on the feet. As the day wears on and the posture begins to fade, the head begins to sag forward, causing the shoulders to slouch and the pelvis to tip to a posterior position. The hamstring muscles of the back of the leg tighten and reinforce this caveman posture. Although this is the opposite position for the pelvis, the resulting pressure elicits pain in both the lower back and neck just the same.


Forward bend and unilateral hamstring stretch

Zen Strech Moving Meditation: www.zenstretch.ca

Wednesday, June 6, 2012