Lower Trunk Lateral Flexor Stretch Arched Back

Lower-Trunk Stretches:

Method:
Stand upright with legs 2 to 3 feet apart (61 to 91 cm) with the right foot about 1 foot (30 cm) ahead of the left foot. Place both hands near the right hip. Slowly arch the back, contracting the buttocks and pushing the hips forward. Continue arching the back, rotate the trunk clockwise, and drop the head back toward the right side. Slide the hands past the right buttock and down the right leg.

Affected Body Part:
Most-stretched muscles: Rectus abdominis, left external oblique, left internal oblique.
Lesser-stretched muscles: Left quadratus lumborum, left psoas major, left iliacus, left rotatores, left intertransversarii.

This exercise is potentially dangerous, especially for people with a swayed back or weak abdominal muscles. This exercise can worsen a swayed back and cause excessive squeezing of the spinal discs, jammed spinal joints, and pinched spinal nerves emerging from the lumbar vertebrae. This stretch is recommended only for those who are very stiff and do not have a swayed back. Also, you should use this exercise only when the other lower-back flexor stretches do not provide any improvement. When doing this stretch, do minimal arching and make sure that you squeeze the buttock during the arching. Squeezing the buttock reduces the stress on the lower back. Finally, it is very easy to lose balance while doing this exercise, so take extra care.