Stretching can be a great way to relieve pain from tight muscles and increase mobility and flexibility. But, the wrong types of stretches can put stress on fragile bones including your spine. If you have osteoporosis, you should avoid:
- Flexion (bending over or rounding forward of the spine)
- Twisting (turning in a way that the hips are facing a different direction than the shoulders)
- Extension (bending backward and arching the spine)All three of these are very common in stretching, but there are some easy ways to work around them.
For example, bending down and touching your toes (flexion) to stretch your hamstrings is not recommended if you have osteoporosis. But this can be easily replaced with hamstring stretch with strap. This stretch allows your back and spine to stay flat on the floor while stretching the same part of your body.
You can find instructions for how to do this stretch as well as more suggestions on how to stretch safely by reading the article below.
