The 3 modifications of the bridge exercise.  When you can’t exercise standing or sitting, this is the next best thing.  Because this is a strength exercise, only perform this when you can move and stretch with no pain.

Here are the step:

Basic Bridge

1. Sit on the floor and put your heels as close to your body as possible.

2. Slowly lower your body to a flat position.

3. Lift your hips by contracting your glutes (butt muscles) and hamstrings to a level even with your knees and shoulders, if possible.  Hold for 2 seconds, then lower to a flat position. Modification 1:

   1. Repeat step 3 in the basic bridge.

   2. Use your back muscles to raise one heel without shift your body weight.

   3. Hold for 2 seconds then lower to a flat position.

4. Modification 2:

   1. Repeat step 3 in the basic bridge.

   2. Use your back muscles to raise your entire foot off the floor without shifting your body weight. 3. Hold for 2 seconds then lower to a flat position.

5. Modification 3:

   1. Repeat step 3 in the basic bridge.

   2. Use your back muscles to raise and straighten your leg without shifting your body weight. 

   3. Hold for 2 seconds then lower to a flat position.

For each modification, raise and lower the left and right three times for 2 seconds to start .  Then add more time after the back feels stronger.  Your stronger back will give you confidence to move without injury, and improve your balance.

Every is at a unique state of health.

Enjoy a Complimentary consultation from these specialists and recover from nerve, spine, and muscle pain.

Change your Health from the Inside Out

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909-981-5666 or On-Line

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When looking to fix hunchback posture, we need to understand some exercises can help or hurt to improve our health.  Understand some muscles need to be stretched and some strengthened to feel and look better.  In general the front muscles of the body will tighten/shorten, and the back muscles will become weaker and sometimes painful.

Sam is illustrating hunched/poor posture.  Here shoulders are rolling forward, her upper back is more rounded, and her neck is bending forward.

This buff guy is flexing the muscles that help strengthen and pull the upper spine back.   They include the upper trapezius

and rhomboids.

Here is one exercise that can help start the process:

One Arm Row.  There are 2 modifications.

1. Lying on your stomach.   This helps relax the body and neck, with muscle contraction only of the upper trapezius and rhomboids on one side.

1. Hold a small weight or water bottle to start.

2. Lye on the edge of bed or couch where you can have full extension of your arm.

3. Relaxing the other parts of your body, pull with back of your upper arm and upper back as high as you can.

4. Hold for 1 second.

5. Slowly lower the weight to original position.

6. Repeat 5-10 times.

2. On your hands & knees.  This position forces your body and legs to help stabilize the body during the exercise.

1. Position yourself on your hands and knees.

2. Put a small weight or water bottle in one hand.

3. Holding your body still, slowly lift the weight using the back of your upper arm and upper back.

4. Hold for 1 second.

5. Slowly lower the weight keeping the body still.

6. Repeat 5-10 times.

Focus on holding good posture/form during the motion.  Breath in when pulling toward the body.  Breath out when lowering the weight.  Repeat this daily and add other exercises and stretches to improve your posture and improve your health.

With any exercise, do not perform if you experience pain before or during the exercise.  Consult a Chiropractor for a full examination and x-rays to understand if you have a joint, nerve or muscle conditions.

Every is at a unique state of health.

Enjoy a Complimentary consultation from these specialists and recover from nerve, spine, and muscle pain.

Enjoy Health from the Inside Out

Book Now:
909-981-5666 or On-Line

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Part 2: Improve Sitting Posture: Low Back Stretches

The upper trapezius muscle (image below) controls the health of the neck, upper back and shoulders.  If this muscle is, then the resulting pinched nerve/disc herniations will cause headaches, arm neuropathy, and upper back/rib neuropathy.

As you can see in the image, the upper trapezius attached to the upper neck, back of the shoulder, and to the lower middle back.  When this muscle tightens it can cause the shoulders to the rise, middle back hunching and forward head posture.  This is usually the result of or caused from poor posture.

Before any treatment of this unhealthy muscle, bone and nerve conditions must be ruled in or rule out.  This will allow steady recovery.   Chiropractor can determine these conditions through an x-ray analysis of the neck, upper back and shoulder (if symptomatic).

The First Stretch

When it is safe to start the upper trapezius rehab, the first steps to recovery will be to stretch this muscle.  Sam demonstrates this stretch here.

Here are the steps for the upper trapezius stretch to stretch the right side:

1. Stand or sit in a good posture position you can tolerate.

2. Place your left hand over or in front of the right ear.

3. Turn your head over your right shoulder to tolerance.

4. Use your weight of your hand to let the head fall forward toward the chest.

5. Add tension to feel only a tightness by pushing down with the weight of the hand.

6. Do not cause muscle pain when adding tension.

7. Hold for 30 sec. to 1 minute, or recommended time by your Chiropractor.

8. Perform steps 1-7 for the left side.

This stretch should be performed at least daily and, if the muscle is painful, followed with ice.  Once the muscle is no longer painful AND a better posture in a relaxed position is achieved, then strengthening the upper trapezius can continue the rehab.

First Strength Exercise

When strengthening this muscle, caution is recommended due to shoulder and neck range of motion limitations.  It is best to have full range of motion in each joint, so start with this simple pull back lying on your stomach to prevent setbacks in your recovery.

Start this exercise lying on your stomach, relaxing your head to your preference, and on the side of bed or couch letting your arm dangle of the side (left side depicted here).

1. Use a small weight in your hand (water bottle used in these images).

2. Use your upper back and the back of your shoulder to pull the water bottle straight up.

3. Hold in upper position for 1 second and slowly lower to starting position over 2-3 seconds.

4. Repeat 5-10 times, and add a heavier weight at your tolerance.

5. Repeat steps 1-4 for the right side.

This exercise will help strengthen the upper back, lower neck and back of the shoulder to strengthen a better posture.

To summarize using the sequence of an x-ray analysis, stretching and lastly strengthening the upper trapezius will lead to feeling and looking better.

Everyone is at a unique state of health.

Enjoy a Complimentary consultation from these specialists and recover from nerve, spine, and muscle pain.

Enjoy Health from the Inside Out.

Serving Upland, Claremont, Cucamonga, Ontario and surrounding communities.

Book Now:
909-981-5666

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Dr. Ratkovic explains the first low back stretch @ Gibson talk January 2017.

This short clip’s steps are demonstrated in this video.  See stretch number 1:

Low Back Stretches 

Each person is at a unique state of health.

Enjoy a Complimentary consultation from these specialists and recover from nerve, spine, and muscle pain.

Enjoy health from the inside out. 

Book Now:
909-981-5666 or
On-line booking

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Anterior Hip Stretch to Fix Poor Posture/Chronic Low Back

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When you have low back pain, sometimes in a few days your posture will change to compensate.  You can start to lean forward (most common) or favor one side.

Good Posture…

Poor Posture…

When poor posture occurs the front hip ligaments will tighten to help keep your balance.  This ligaments wrap around the hips ball and socket joint and wind like a piece of rope.

These ligaments need to be stretched to improve overall posture.  Then the back pain can reduce, and strength can be returned.

Here are the anterior hip stretch steps:

1. Lay on your stomach with the weight on your forearms.

2. To stretch the left hip, bring your left knee up and to the side enough to avoid pain.  Hold for 1-2 minutes.

3. To stretch the right hip, bring your right knee up and to the side enough to avoid pain.  Hold for 1-2 minutes. 

4. Feel if on side is tighter than the other.

5. Recommended: ice if any soreness when standing.

When you can perform this anterior stretch to the full range of motion (see images above), then you are ready to add more stretches and strength exercises.  This will lead to your low back recovery and improve your posture.

Every is at a unique state of health.

Enjoy a Complimentary consultation from these specialists and recover from nerve, spine, and muscle pain.

Enjoy Health from the Inside Out

Book Now:
909-981-5666 or On-Line

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