Frequently affected muscles
Due to the sitting posture, the knee flexors, hip flexors, abdominal muscles, chest muscles and neck muscles are particularly affected. If you look at the sitting position, this phenomenon explains itself: The knees are mostly bent, the hips are also bent, the chest approaches the pubic bone, the shoulders hang down in front and the head is increasingly placed in the neck. If you have the habit of leaning to one side because of your job, the lateral trunk flexors are often also affected. Especially the above mentioned muscle groups should be taken into account when doing stretching exercises.
Method stretching exercises
When you stretch a muscle, you should always actively tense its opponent. To intensify the stretching exercises, you can build up counter tension for 5-10 seconds after 10-20 seconds of stretching, but without leaving the position and then try to work a little further into the stretching position. The stretching should feel like a light pull.
Some muscle groups will feel more uncomfortable for you and some less so. However, this is completely normal for stretching exercises. Do all stretching exercises 2-3 times in a row.
To prevent pain in the lower back it is important to stretch the following muscle groups. Some exercises do not seem to be directly related to the back, but the muscles are connected by fascia (connective tissue). Therefore, the entire so-called muscle chain must always be considered when stretching.
For the sake of simplicity, the following stretching exercises are all explained for the right side, of course both sides should be stretched. The knee flexors run from the ischial tuberosity to the lower leg. To stretch them, the knee must be stretched and the hip flexed.
To do this, move your right leg with the knee stretched a few centimeters from the center of gravity while standing, actively stretching your right knee. The left leg must be bent for this.Now bend your hips as if you were sitting on a chair until you feel a stretching sensation in the back thigh muscles. Make sure that your back remains straight and is not rounded.
Both knees are at the same level. It is best to perform the stretching exercise in front of the mirror and check that both knees are pointing forward. Do not let the supporting leg tilt inwards (knock-knees).
Hold the exercise for 10-20 seconds and then change sides. As an alternative to the standing stretching exercise, you can also stretch your knees on the floor in a long seat. To do this, bend your left leg and place the sole of your foot slightly below your right knee.
The right knee is actively stretched and the pelvis points forward. If your pelvis is correctly aligned to the front and your back is straight, this is often enough as a stretching stimulus. If you do not feel any stretching sensation, slowly bend forward from the hip with the upper body without rounding the back.
The gluteus maximus is a hip extensor and the largest muscle in our body (gluteus maximus). If the gluteus muscle has too high a resting tension, this often results in complaints with the sciatic nerve, since it can be compressed. To stretch the right side, sit on a chair and place the right lower leg above your left knee.
The edge of the tibia should now be parallel with the edge of the chair. Gently push your right knee with your right hand towards the floor and lean your upper body forward with your back straight until you feel a feeling of stretching in your right buttock. This exercise can also be done very well in the office.
Alternatively, you can also do this stretching exercise on the floor in a supine position by bending your left leg 90° at your hip and knee and also resting your right leg on your left. In this position you can grasp your left leg well and pull it closer to your upper body to increase the stretching. The hip flexor (iliopsoas) is often underestimated as the cause of back pain.
As explained above, we spend a large part of our lives with our hips bent. A portion of the hip flexor muscle originates at the front of the transverse processes of our lumbar vertebrae. If the hip is not flexed, it is therefore able to pull us into the hollow back.
To stretch the right hip flexor during this stretching exercise, place your right lower leg on the floor and place your left leg significantly further forward on the floor. The pelvis points straight forward during this exercise. Place your hands on the right and left iliac crests and push the pelvis forward until you feel a stretching sensation.
It is essential that you remain upright during this exercise! As soon as you become round and the hip is flexed, no stretching can be expected during this stretching exercise. The knee extensor (quadriceps) consists of four muscles, one of which is also a hip flexor (rectus femoris).
In this stretching exercise you stand on your left leg and bring your right foot to your bottom by grasping your right foot with your right hand. Actively tense your pom muscles and make sure that your pelvis remains straight. By tensing your abdominal muscles, you can prevent the pelvis from tilting forward and you can avoid standing in a hollow back.
It is best to first look at yourself in the mirror at the side during the stretching exercise in order to avoid an incorrect posture. You should form a straight line in the mirror from your chest to your knee. More important than pulling your foot towards your buttocks is that your hips are pushed forward and both knees are at the same level during this stretching exercise. If you are already well stretched, the right knee can also be further back than the left, as long as the pelvis position does not change.
