• FLEXIBILITY
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• BALANCE
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• STRENGTH
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• ENDURANCE

Stretching Techniques For Seniors And The Elderly

Stretching techniques for seniors and the elderly exercisers are designed primarily to improve function in older adults.

There are minimum ranges that we must use for many of our daily activities.

For example, you need to raise your arm to at least shoulder height to put on a shirt.

Your knee must bend at least 90 degrees(like an L shape) in order to go up stairs.

In other words, good stretching techniques for older adults will stress improving what we call the end range.

That is the farthest point your joint will go when reaching overhead for example.

So to get  your shirt on you will have to work on getting your arm to raise to at least your shoulder height.

Stretching techniques for the hip shown in this video are for the side hip.

Make sure you check out our flexibility page before beginning our stretching exercises.

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Side Hip Stretch

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Purpose of this exercise

• This is a good stretch for the side hip area.
• Improve the range of motion of our hips.
• Also can help with balance.

How to do it:

Step 1

• Stand next to a wall about 12 inches away.
• Your left side facing the wall.

Step 2 

• Cross your right leg over your left leg.
• Bring your left hip in toward the wall.
• Hold for 10 to 20 seconds.
• Then repeat crossing your left over your right.
• Bring your right hip in toward the wall.

Breathing:

• Continue to breathe normally, in through the nose and out through the mouth.

Tips:

• Bring just your hips into the wall.
• Keep your upper body erect.
• Take a small step when crossing the legs.

Take it up a notch:

• Stand on a higher surface, like a phone book, for a deeper stretch.

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.

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