THE FOLLOWING STRETCHING EXERCISES WORK TO STRETCH THE JOINTS AND MUSCLES THAT ARE SHORTENED AND TIGHT WHEN YOU SIT OR WORK IN FORWARD POSTURES

(Please note that these stretches must be performed slowly and carefully. They should not be painful. If they are painful, stop and consult a health professional.)

NECK STRETCH. 1.     Tilt ear toward shoulder. 2.     Reach up and touch top of head with palm to hold in tilted position. 3.     Hold 10 seconds. Repeat 2-3 times (come out of stretch very slowly.) Reverse

PEC CORNER STRETCH 1.     Stand at a corner about a foot away from the wall with forearms on opposite sides of the corner. One foot should be forward. 2.     Elbows should be at slightly below shoulder height. 3.     Keep abdominals tight to avoid arching back. 4.     Lean gently in towards corner by bending the front knee until a stretch is felt in front of the chest. 5.     Hold 15 seconds. Repeat 2-3 times.

OVERHEAD REACH 1.     Take a deep breath and reach up over head with both arms. 2.     Hold a couple seconds. 3.     Exhale and lower slowly. 4.     Repeat 5 times.

SHOULDER PINCH 1.     Place arms behind head being careful not to press hand into head. 2.     Relax shoulders, and squeeze shoulder blades together while keeping shoulders back and down. 3.     Hold 5 seconds. Repeat 5 times.

CHAIR ROTATION STRETCH 1.     Sit in chair, and if you can, wrap feet around chair legs. 2.     Reach across body and grab back of chair. 3.     Pull gently to increase stretch in mid back. 4.     Hold 5 seconds. Repeat 5 times.

ARMS BEHIND BACK STRETCH 1.     Hold hands behind back, and grasp hands together. 2.     Pull shoulder blades back and down. 3.     Hold 5 seconds. Repeat 5 times.

FOREARM STRETCHES

A. Wrist flexed/ fingers straight 1.     Hold arm straight at waist height. 2.     With fingers of other hand, gently press down above the knuckles-bending wrist down. **(Do not hold at the fingers to push down.)** Hold for 5-10 seconds. 3.     Keep shoulder relaxed when stretching. 4.     Repeat 2-3 times.

B. Wrist extended/ fingers point up 1.     Hold arm straight at waist height with palm facing away from you and fingers pointing up. 2.     Hold onto palm of hand and stretch wrist back. ** (Do not pull on fingers.) 3.     Make sure the fingers and thumb (on the hand that is pushing the other hand back) are kept together. 4.     Hold 5-10 seconds. Repeat 2-3 times.

C. Wrist extended/ fingers point down 1.     Do as above, but with fingers pointing towards the floor. 2.     Hold 5-10 seconds. Repeat 2-3 times.

THORACIC SPINE EXTENSION STRETCH 1.     Lie on your back with a pillow under your knees. Place a firmly rolled towel under your shoulder blades across your upper back. 2.     Raise arms up as you inhale. 3.     Lower arms as you exhale, and hold a couple of seconds. 4.     Do this 5 times.

PROP UPS OR PRESS UPS 1.     Lie on stomach and either prop up on forearms, or if wrists are not compromised, press up through hands. 2.     Let stomach sag, and allow back to arch without using back muscles. 3.     If propped on elbows, hold 5-10 seconds. Repeat 5 times. 4.     If on hands, press up and down slowly 10 times.

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