5-minute Exercises To Stretch The Spine And Release The Back

Stretching your body is a great way to deal with stress before the alarm bells go off.

There are many simple stretches that can be done during the day to loosen the muscles, release tension and, at the same time, deepen the breath and calm the mind.

Performing them takes just a few minutes, requires little effort and allows you to get out of the spiral of tension to return to activity with your body and mind oxygenated.

You just have to make sure the stretches are slow and gentle, and in sync with regular breathing. At the first sign of pain it is better to stop.

Anti-stress stretch in 5 minutes

• Squatting. This common posture relieves pressure on the vertebral discs. Standing, lower your body as if you were going to sit on your heels. Breathe regularly for about 5 seconds. Get up and repeat the exercise twice.
• Shoulder rotation. Standing or sitting, relax your hands and jaw and breathe regularly. Make rotate your shoulders back and forth gently. Do it three times and repeat it in the opposite direction.
• Neck stretches. Standing or sitting, relax your shoulders, hands, and jaw. Turn your head to the left as much as you can, little by little. Hold the stretch for 5 seconds. Turn your head to the right and do the same. Repeat it twice. Then gently grasp the back of your neck with your hands, slowly tilt your head back, and hold the stretch for 5 seconds. Then relax your hands and gently bring your chin to your chest. Hold for another 5 seconds and repeat twice. Finally, bring your left ear closer to your left shoulder, stay there for 5 seconds and repeat the stretch to the right. Repeat it twice.

A relaxing stretch

Standing with your legs hip-width apart and your knees relaxed, feel your feet firmly on the floor.

Bend your body forward little by little, starting at the head and going vertebra by vertebra. The intention is that the fingers touch the ground.

Release your shoulders and arms well, loosen your head, and relax your jaws. In this pose, take six to ten full breaths. Then join vertebra to vertebra.

Stretch the spine with a fitball

The fitball, which is sold at very affordable prices, provides an unstable base that forces the body to activate several muscle groups at the same time to maintain balance. It’s another tool available to do a quick back stretch.

The muscles that are mainly worked are the abdominals, which play a fundamental role in maintaining good body posture.

Simply sit on the ball and stand tall to feel the deep abdominal muscles activate, strengthening the lower spine.

For this reason, if practiced regularly, fitball exercises reduce back pain.

It can be taken as a game: roll with a large ball, sit on it, squeeze it … but above all it is an effective and fun way to strengthen the muscles and gain flexibility, coordination, balance and control of posture.

• How to use the fitball?

The exercises with fitball are very varied: from back stretches lying on the ball face up or face down, to push-ups with the shins resting on the ball, or toning the lying abductors holding the ball between the knees.

You can also practice sit-ups lying on the floor with your heels on the ball, hip balances lying face down with your abdomen on the ball, etc.

Although the fitball was created in 1963 by an Italian plastics manufacturer, it was a British physiotherapist who began to use them in her treatments, first in Switzerland and then in her country.

From the eighties the field of action of the fitball was evolving and today they are used in both therapeutic and sports programs.

• Quick exercise to stretch the spine on a fitball

1. Sit on the ball with your feet shoulder-width apart and slowly slide back.
2. Let the spine extend in an arc, trying not to let the neck hang back. You can support the head with your hands if you have cervical problems.
3. Hold the position for a few seconds and carefully slide back and forth.
4. To finish, drop your pelvis to the floor. Don’t try to lift your torso up from the flexed position.