Exercises To Increase Flexibility For Seniors And The Elderly

Exercises to increase flexibility for seniors and the elderly, like the standing quadriceps stretch below, are important to help maintain your hip and leg range of motion.

As we age our available range of motion in our joints will decline. This can be up to 30% when we reach our older adult years.

By incorporating a stretching program in your home, you can help improve your leg and hip flexibility.

Warm up with some limbering activity before you stretch like easy walking, easy stepping, rising up on toes, or seated marching.

This will prepare you by gradually increasing your body temjperature, making your tissue more elastic and able to properly stretch.

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Standing Quadriceps Stretch

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Purpose of this exercise

Will improve your hip and knee range of motion.
Can improve your standing posture by allowing you to stand up straighter.

How to do it:

Step 1

Stand with a chair for support.
Hold on with your left hand.

Step 2

Bend your right knee.
Grasp your right ankle.
Gendly pull up toward your bottom.
Hold for 10 to 20 seconds.
Then repeat with the other leg.

Breathing:

Breathe normally, in through the nose and out through the mouth.

Tips:

If this exercise is too difficult, try the seated ankle stretch which also stretches the quadriceps.
If you are wearing pants, grasp the pant leg for an easier hold.
Stop if you feel pain in your knee joint.
Always hold on to a counter or chair for this exercise.

Take it up a notch:

Lift your ribs and look straight ahead for improved balance.
Try holding the stretch for 30 seconds.

Try these other lower body stretches

Watch These Exercise Videos

1. Seated Lifts

Improve the range of motion in your hips and legs.
Help stabilize your low back and pelvis.
Learn what is flexibility.

2. Standing Quadricep Stretch

Will improve your hip and knee range of motion with these exercises to increase flexibility.
Can improve your standing posture by allowing you to stand up straighter.

3. Back Stretch

Improves the range of motion in your spine and trunk with lower back stretching.
Increases your ability to bend and reach low or high.

4. Inner Thigh Stretch

Improve your hip and thigh range of motion with stretching legs exercises.
Increase your functional ability in standing, walking and stepping.

5. Calf Stretch

Targets the flexibilty of your calf muscle and heel cord. with calf muscle stretches.
Increases your ability to straighten your knee

6. Hip Side Stretch

This is a good stretch for the side hip area.
Improve the range of motion of our hips.
These stretching techniques also can help with balance.

7. Hip Rotation Stretch

Increase the range of motion of your hips with these flexibility stretches.
Improve the functional use of your legs as in getting out of a car or stepping over the side of your bath tub.

8. Soleus Stretch

Increases the flexibility of the deep calf muscle with flexibility stretching exercises.
Generally improves your lower body flexibility and functional use of your legs.

9. Ankle Circles

Improve the range of motion of the ankle and foot with warming up stretching.
Can help with ankle swelling.

10. Hamstring Stretch

Increases your abilty to lean forward and reach your feet with hamstring stretching.
Improves the flexibilty of your low back and legs.

11. Knee To Chest

Stretches your knee and hip joints with flexibility importance exercises.
Improves low back flexibility.

12. Ankle Stretch

Helps maintain good ankle flexibility which will assist with walking and standing with ankle stretching exercises.
Also helps with knee and hip stiffness.

vote yes Do you like these exercises? Did you know you can download the exercises along with a 4 week exercise program?.