Back Pain Glossary » Stretching

Stretching for Back Pain

The goal of stretching for back pain is to decrease the frequency of the pain, increase over all functioning, and prevent the back from becoming weak and vulnerable to further injury.

Almost everyone can benefit from stretching the soft tissues of the muscles, ligaments and tendons in the back and around the spine. The spinal column and its muscles, ligaments and tendons are all designed to move. Limitations in this motion can accentuate back pain.  As the old saying goes "If you rest, you rust!"

Individuals with chronic back pain may find it takes weeks or months of stretching to encourage flexibility in the spine and soft tissues again. However sustained relief of low back pain typically follows the increase in motion. It is recommended that any individual who has suffered from low back pain should stretch their muscles once or twice daily.