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Fitness Stretching

Standing Lower Trunk Flexor Stretch Arched Back

Lower-Trunk Stretches:

Method:
Stand upright with legs 2 to 3 feet apart (61 to 91 cm) with hands placed on the hips. Slowly arch the back, contracting the buttocks and pushing the hips forward. Continue arching the back, drop the head backward, and slide the hands past the buttocks and down the legs.

Affected Body Part:
Most-stretched muscles: Rectus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique.
Lesser-stretched muscles: Quadratus lumborum, psoas major, iliacus.

This exercise is potentially dangerous, especially for those who have a swayed back or weak abdominal muscles. This exercise can worsen a swayed back and cause excessive squeezing of the spinal discs, jammed spinal joints, and pinched spinal nerves emerging from the lumbar vertebrae. This stretch is recommended only for those who are very stiff and do not have a swayed back. Also, you should use this exercise only when the other lower-back flexor stretches do not provide any improvement. When doing this stretch, do minimal arching and make sure that you squeeze the buttocks during the arching. Squeezing the buttocks reduces the stress on the lower back.