CALF
STRETCH…
Back
of leg, below knee
Stand facing a wall,
with your hands lightly resting flat on the wall, at about shoulder height. One
foot forward in a lunging position.
Keeping both heels on
the floor, bend the front knee. (You will feel the stretch in the calf of the
back leg). Make sure that you keep your body upright (ie don’t stick your
bottom out!). To stretch the deeper calf muscle, you can bend the back knee so
that you are ‘sitting down’ with your weight over the back leg. (You should
still feel the stretch in the calf of the back leg.) Repeat with the other leg
forward.
BACK
THIGH STRETCH…
Hamstring
stretch
Lie on your back with
your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lift one knee towards your chest,
support behind the thigh with both hands. Fully straighten your leg. Flex your
foot towards you to add a stretch for the calf. Hold for 6- 10 seconds.
Carefully lower the leg. Repeat with the other leg (x 2 each side).
If you cannot reach
to hold behind your thigh use a towel to help
STANDING
BACK RELAXATION…
Standing
with your back facing the wall
Let the wall take
your weight by slowly leaning back until your shoulder blades and base of your
spine are against the wall. Draw in your lower tummy muscles. Adjust your feet
and bend or straighten your legs until your lower back is comfortably ‘sitting’
against the wall. Drop your shoulders, breathe out and relax.e
xercises are
available at
FRONT
THIGH STRETCH…
Quadriceps
stretch
Stand next to a wall
sideways on, placing your left hand on the wall for support with your elbow
slightly bent.
Make sure you are
close enough to the wall to feel steady and upright. Keeping your S shape spine
and tucked in tummy, lift the right heel off the floor up towards your
buttocks. Hold this heel lift where comfortable bending your left knee gently
as you stand bearing the weight on your left leg. You will be gently stretching
the front of your right thigh. Hold for six seconds breathing gently.
MID-SPINE
STRETCH…
On the floor, on all
fours. You need to make sure that your shoulders are over your hands and your
hips are over your knees, so that your back is flat.
Keeping your hands
firmly in place on the floor, smoothly sit back on your heels. You should feel
the stretch between your shoulders and down the middle of your back.
GOLFERS
LIFT…
Imagine a golfer who
leans on their putter and lifts one leg behind whilst retrieving the ball from
the hole. This is a useful lift when you have to lift light objects and there
is something solid to hold on to.
Hold onto the support
(chair, table, etc) with your right hand. Pull your tummy
button in towards
your spine. Stand on your right leg and bend at the hips, keeping your back
straight and gently lift a straight left leg behind you as you lift the object.
If one side of your back is weak, lift and straighten the leg of your weak side
which will keep your spine in its natural curves and stable.
LIFTING
AND CARRYING…
Ask yourself: ‘do I
need to lift this?’; ‘can I lift this without over stretching or straining
myself?’; ‘can I lift this without losing my balance or bending my back?’ Always
keep the object close to your body. Keep your back straight. Bend your knees
and hips not your back. Push up using your thighs. Do not reach forwards. Move
close to the object.
Adopt a wide stable
base (place your knee and foot – or both feet – about hip width apart). Hold
your tummy in and breathe when lifting. Turn your feet and don’t twist when
lifting. Try and lift with smooth movements.
ARM
STRENGTHENING…
Easy
press-up
Kneel on all fours.
Hands placed under your shoulders, knees hips width apart; your body evenly
balanced over your hands and knees and your back straight (not dipped) with
tummy ‘hollowed’ (abdominal hollowing).
Gently, bend your
elbows, lower your chin towards the floor and push up to starting position.
Repeat building up from 5-10 times. Then sit up, relax, change your body
position if need and shake your arms to loosen your wrists and shoulders.
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