Tanya Andrews Physiotherapy
Stretches
Stretches
1. Stretching Iliopsoas
Stand with your feet staggered and the back knee slightly bent.
Tilt your pelvis backward and slowly bring your weight forward onto your front leg until a
stretch is felt in front of the hip.
Keep the back in a neutral position for the stretch.
2. Iliopsoas Stretch
On one knee, begin to transfer or push your pelvis forward with your upper body upright
Hold for 30 seconds then repeat.
3. Stretching Hip Flexor
Lie on your stomach.
Raise yourself up onto one foot and place the other leg outstretched behind you.
Support yourself on your hands while you lean your pelvis down towards the ground until
you feel a stretch at the front of your thigh and groin.
Relax.
4. Hip Flexors Stretch (Thomas)
Lie on your back with your buttock at the edge of a table with your knees pulled toward
your chest.
Then, pull one knee as close as possible to your chest.
Slowly straighten the free leg so it is off the edge and let the knee relax to feel a stretch at
the front of the hip.
When you're done, bring the knee back up to protect the lower back.
5. Psoas Stretch
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your back in a neutral position (slightly arched).
Lift the good knee towards your chest as far as possible and hold it there with your hands.
Activate your lower abdominals to keep your back flat against the floor while you slide the
injured leg away from you to straighten it until you feel a gentle stretch at the front of your
hip.
Maintain the stretch and slowly return to the initial position.
6. Passive Hip Flexion
Stand in front of a chair and place the foot of the injured leg on the chair.
Bring your weight forward as you bend your hip as far as you can.
Maintain the stretch and return to the initial position.
7. Quadriceps Stretch
Stand up between two steady chairs.
Place the top of the foot of the leg to stretch on the top of the chair behind you.
Keep the back straight and the pelvis in neutral.
You can bend the knee of the supporting leg to accentuate the stretch.
Hold the position when you feel a comfortable stretch in front of your thigh.
8. Stretching Quadriceps
Stand in front of a chair and hold on to it with one hand.Grab the top of one ankle with one
hand and pull your foot towards your buttock until you feel a gentle stretch in front of the
thigh.Hold the stretch, keeping your lower back neutral and return to the initial position.
9. Quadriceps Stretch
Lie on your side and grab the top ankle with one hand to pull your foot towards your
buttocks until you feel a gentle stretch on front of the elevated leg.
Hold the stretch, keeping your lower back neutral and return to the initial position.
10. Stretching Quad./BIT
Lie on your side and grab your top ankle with one hand to pull your foot towards your
buttock, keeping your lower back neutral.
Place your bottom foot on the knee of the top leg, pulling your knee down until you feel a
gentle stretch on the lateral side and the front of the elevated leg.
Hold the stretch and return to the initial position.
11. Passive Hip Extension
Stand in front of a chair and place the foot of the uninjured leg on the chair.
Bring your weight forward as you extend the hip of the standing leg as far as you can.
Maintain the stretch and return to the initial position.
12. Foam Rolling IT Band
Place your foam roller on the floor. Take a side position with the outside of the thigh over
the foam roller and your other leg in front for support.
Roll the entire outside of your leg from your pelvis to your knee in an up and down motion.
Maintain your abs tight and proper low back posture during the exercise.
13. Stretching ITB/piriformis
Sit with your back straight and cross one leg over the other.
Hold your knee with the opposite arm and pull your knee across your chest towards the
opposite shoulder until you feel a stretch on the outside leg and/or buttock.
14. IT Band Stretch
Stand up straight next to a wall.
Cross your innermost leg in front of your outermost leg, spreading them apart in a
scissoring motion as much as you can.
Lean your pelvis away from the wall until you feel a stretch across the side of your
outermost pelvis and thigh.
Return to the starting position.
15. Stretching ITB
Stand next to a wall with the involved leg toward the wall.
Cross over the uninvolved leg in front and push your hips towards the wall until you feel a
stretch on the side of your thigh and buttocks.
Keep the foot of the stretched leg pointed forward or, if possible, slightly toward the wall.
Hold the stretch.
16. Hamstring Stretch
Sit on a firm surface with one leg bent in front.
Arch your lower back and slowly straighten your leg until you feel a stretch behind your leg.
You can lean forward without bending at the back (no round back) to increase the stretch.
Maintain the position and relax.
17. Hamstring Stretch
Sit on a chair with one foot on a small bench.
Arch your lower back and pull your foot towards you while you extend your leg until you
feel a stretch behind your leg.
Maintain the position and relax.
18. Hamstring Stretch
Lie on your back, grab the back of your leg and pull your knee toward your chest. Gently
straighten your leg while keeping your thigh straight until you feel a comfortable stretch
behind the leg.Maintain the position and relax.
19. Toe Touch Progression 1
Stand up with your heels and toes touching and a rolled towel between your knees.
The balls of both feet should be elevated onto a board that is about 2 inches high.
Reach up with your arms, palms facing forward. Stick your belly in by pulling in as deeply
as possible with the abdominal muscles. Breath normally.
Bend forward to touch your toes with your fingertips as you squeeze the towel with your
legs. Try to have the knees as straight as possible as you reach down.
Come back upright to the starting position and repeat the movement, keeping the
abdominals pulled in.
Do not hyperextend the knees or change the feet position during the exercise.
20. Piriformis Stretch
Lie on your back and lift the affected leg to your chest and grab your knee with your
opposite hand while the other leg stays straight.
Gently pull your leg across your chest to the opposite shoulder until a stretch is felt deep in
the buttocks and let your foot hang over the straight leg.
Maintain your pelvis in contact with the floor by applying pressure with the other hand.
Maintain the position and relax.
21. Stretching Piriformis
Lie on your back and have one leg bent.
Place the ankle of the opposite leg over the knee in a figure 4 position.
Using both hands, grab the ankle and the back of the knee.
Pull the knee towards your chest gently until you feel a gentle stretch at the buttock of the
elevated leg.
22. Glutes Stretching
Sit on a chair having one foot over the opposite knee in a figure 4 position.
Push on your knee to open the leg and straighten your back while you move your upper
body forward until you feel a comfortable stretch in your buttock.
Hold the stretch.
23. Stretching Glutes
Lie on your back with your knees bent, place one foot (affected side) over the opposite
knee.
Grab behind the leg that is on the ground with your hands and pull it toward you until you
feel a gentle stretch.
Maintain the position and relax.
Push on your knee to increase the stretch.
As an alternative, lie in front of a wall and use the wall to push your foot if you have trouble
reaching the back of your leg.
24. Foam Rolling Glutes
Place your foam roller on the floor and sit on it having one foot over the opposite knee in a
figure 4 position.
Roll along your buttock in a front to back motion from your lower back to the bottom of the
buttock.
Maintain your abs tight and proper lower back posture during the exercise.
25. Adductors Stretching
Sitting with your legs extended.
Bend your knees towards you while keeping your feet together.
Let your knees fall out to the sides.
You should feel a stretch in the groin region.
To increase the stretch, place your elbows on your knees and push down.
Hold the position.
26. Adductors Stretch
Lie on your back in front of a wall with your leg up on the wall.
Keep your leg straight while they slowly split open until you feel a stretch between your
legs (groin).
Maintain the position and relax.
27. Stretching Adductors
Sit on the floor with your legs outstretched and apart.
Bend your body forward until you feel a stretch on the insides of your thighs.
Relax.
When you bend your body forward, do not bend your knees. Keep your legs straight.
28. Adductors Stretch
Stand with a wide split stance.
Lean towards one side, creating a straight leg on the opposite side.
You should feel a stretch along the inside of the leg.
Maintain the position for the recommended time.
29. Foam Rolling Adductors
Place your foam roller on the floor and lie on your stomach with the inside of one thigh over
the foam roller and your other leg straight on the floor for support.
Roll the entire inside of your thigh from your groin to your knee in a side to side motion.
Maintain your abs tight and proper low back posture during the exercise.
30. Lying Butterfly Stretch
Lie on your back.
Bend your knees and place the soles of your feet together.
Let your knees drop slowly away from each other until you feel a comfortable stretch in
your groin.
Relax.
31. Dorsiflexion Stretch
Sit down on a bed-or on the ground-with one leg straight and one the other flexed. Place a
large towel or a belt around the foot of the straight leg. Pull the foot with the towel or belt
until you feel a comfortable stretch behind the leg. Hold the stretch for the recommended
time and relax.
32. Supine Hip Flexors Stretch
Lie on the back at the end of the bed with one leg bent and the foot flat on the mattress,
and the other leg stretched resting outside of the bed.
Keep your back flat against the mattress during the exercise.
Repeat with the other leg by switching positions.
To progress bend the knee that is being stretched.
33. Hamstrings Stretch
Bend one knee up towards your chest.
While holding your thigh with one hand, lift your foot up with the other so as to stretch the
back of your leg.
Hold the stretch.
34. Hamstring Stretch
Sit on the ground with one leg bent and one leg straight.
Bend your body forward and reach for the foot of your outstretched leg, keeping the knee
straight, until you feel a stretch in the back of your leg.
Relax.
35. Hamstrings Stretch
Sit down against a wall with your knees extended and back against the wall.
Try to move the back of your hips as close as possible to the wall while keeping a neutral
back.
Hold the position when you feel a comfortable stretch behind your thighs.
36. Hamstring Stretch
Sit on the edge of a table with your feet hanging and your back in a neutral position (you
can do it on a chair with your feet resting on the floor if it's impossible to sit higher).
Place your hands on your lower back and straighten one leg without letting your lower back
slouch.
If you can straighten your leg completely without pain, you can then pull your toes toward
you until you feel a gentle stretch.
Hold the stretch for the prescribed time, return to the initial position and repeat with the
other leg.
Make sure your back stays slightly arched at all times.
37. Hamstring Stretch
Sit on the edge of a sturdy chair with your legs straight and heels on the ground.
Stick your hips back, keeping your back straight, as you bend forward to feel a stretch
behind your legs.
Hold the position.
38. Hamstring Stretch
Sit up in a chair and place your foot on a stool and the other leg at 90 degrees.
Place the hands on the knees and bend forward from the hip until you feel a stretch in the
back of your outstretched leg. Roll your hips back as to slightly arch your lower back to
accentuate the stretch.
The toes of the stretched leg should not be pointing forward but lifted up.
Relax.
When you bend your body forward, do not bend your knee. Keep your leg straight.
39. Hamstring Stretch
Stand with one foot on a stool in front of you.
Straighten your leg and stick your buttock out to arch your lower back.
Lean your body forward until you feel a stretch behind your thigh.
Maintain the stretch for the recommended time.
40. Quadriceps Stretch
Start on your knees and put your hands behind your feet on the ground.
Push your hips up to form a straight line with your thighs and your torso.
You should feel a stretch in front of your thighs.
Hold the position.
41. Standing Calf Stretching
Stand and place both hands on a wall, with your feet about half a meter from the wall.Place
one leg behind the other and lean your body forward without bending the back knee until
you feel a stretch in your back calf.Maintain the stretch and relax.
42. Calf Stretch Soleus
Stand facing a wall or object and place your foot up against the wall.
With your knee bent, lean forward until you feel a stretch in the calf and hold the position.
43. Standing Calves Stretch
Stand up on a step, placing only your forefeet on it.
Lower your heels until you feel a stretch in your calves.
Maintain the position and relax.
You can perform this exercise with just one leg by lifting the other foot up.
44. Lumbar Flexion Stretch
Lie on your back with your knees bent.
Raise one knee towards your chest as far as you can, and then raise the other to meet it.
Place your hands around your knees and pull them gently towards you until you feel a
stretch in your back.
Relax.
