How to do it
On your side, hips and knees bent to 90° and stacked, arms forward together. Open the top arm like the page of a book and turn the chest and head with it; the knees stay together.
Default dose
2 × 8 · 3s · each side
This is the library's default dose. Each person's programme is set after assessment, around the grade of their finding and their own conditions and limits.
Muscles involved
- stretching Pectoralis major, Abdominal obliques
Muscle colours in the animation: orange working, blue stretching, amber holding still. These muscles were measured on the 3D model.
Where it sits in a programme: Lengthen
The second phase is lengthening: stretching a muscle or tissue that has shortened, so the joint regains the range it needs for a better posture.
Which postural findings it is prescribed for
It appears in the example programme on these pages:
Take care
- In the acute phase of a fresh injury, this exercise is taken off the programme.
- If the movement causes pain or makes pain worse, stop and contact the clinic or your doctor.
Source
Common practice, no specific study:
- Page P. Current concepts in muscle stretching for exercise and rehabilitation. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2012;7(1):109-19.
Review of stretching methods and their dosing in rehabilitation.