When tight back muscles are stretched, the entire spine moves with the stretching muscles, changing tension and compression in discs, joints, and nerves. The success of any back stretch is knowing which direction these various spinal structures need to stretch, and which directions need to be avoided. If stretched in the wrong direction, immediate injury or repetitive microdamage may occur. If stretched in the right direction, your back responds better and the effects of the stretch last much longer.

Directions of stretch need to be further modified for optimal results. Bending forwards with or without the arch in your lower back will target the stretch to different groups of back muscles, and will affect disc pressure and nerves differently. Bending backwards from your upper versus the lower part of your back will also affect these structures differently and change the outcome of any backward stretch. Using compression as opposed to decompression on the spine, or incorporating head, arm, or leg positions while stretching your back can make all the difference in your stretching results.

As opposed to using generic back stretches which often fail to give lasting results, or cause more tightness and pain because the wrong direction or spinal structure was stretched or compressed, learning how to choose the right stretch for you is always a safer and more effective approach. Because every tight or painful back is a unique condition, your stretches need to be unique as well.

Once you have used the self-analysis in our program to determine which direction and modification of stretch is best suited for you, discovering which stretch method will give you optimal results will be your next essential step.

Everyone’s body and unique back condition will react differently to different stretch methods. Your method of back stretching may also need to change over time, based on how acute your condition is, the stage of your healing, and how your body adapts to flexibility.

While simply holding a static stretch position for a prescribed period of time may work for some, this passive method is rarely the optimal way to stretch most lower backs. Dynamic stretches where you are moving back and forth, with and without resistance, with various end range hold times, using eccentric or slow-moving motion, or using the micro motions of spinal mobilization stretches are all methods that often produce better results. Some may require isometric contractions of their spinal muscles prior to the stretch, or use a massaging touch with their stretch such as a foam roller, ball, or hand to aid their stretch. Advanced methods such as positional release stretches where the muscles are relaxed following a shortening phase are sometimes the only way to release back tension in an acute back flare-up.

Back stretches often fail to provide lasting relief because the underlying cause of why back muscles tighten is never addressed. Your root-cause is just as unique as your specific back stretch.

Issues such as faulty posture and movement habits, asymmetry or weakness in core muscles, emotional/mental stress, underlying medical conditions, and even nutritional inadequacies can all fuel back muscle tension. Without correcting these underlying issues, back stretches will never give you lasting results. Our program includes separate chapters that address many of these root causes, and strategies to help you correct them.