Over the years, I have treated and spoke to thousands of back pain victims. So many of them telling me that they do back pain stretches but don't benefit from it. Done correctly, back pain stretches are crucial to rehabilitation but done incorrectly, they are dangerous. As with almost everything in life, if done correctly, you get the positive results. BUT, the reverse is also completely true.

There are three basic spinal movements that we should be aware of: Rotation, Flexion (side bending), Extension (forward/backward movement).

Successful healing can only be achieved when ALL THREE movements are reinstated. Therefore it is of the utmost importance to master the vital techniques that will enable you to restore those functions.

Remember that by correcting the problem partially, positive results will never be achieved. The bulk of rehabilitation techniques fail just because they do not address the 3 essential ingredients to recovery; Symmetry, Elasticity and Strength.

Back pain stretches, when done to specific and systematic tutoring, play a fundamental part in all three elements. None of these 3 elements can be achieved unless efficient stretching of the applicable area is conducted on a regular basis. Just as strength is lost when strengthening exercises are not done regularly, so too will you loose symmetry and elasticity.

It is a pity then that back pain victims do not get the desired results because they do not understand the difference between stretches and exercises and only concentrate their efforts on one of them instead on both.

Fundamentally, exercise shortens the muscle fibre, so when back pain victims exercise without doing efficient back pain stretches failure is predictable. On the other hand stretching does lengthen muscle fibres. So if follows logically then that doing only stretches failure will also be inevitable.

It is ONLY when the right stretches, are combined with the right exercises, and done in the right manner, sequence and frequency, that recovery can be achieved.