Lower Body Stretches

WHY SHOULD WE DO THIS KIND OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY?

Leg stretches for seniors and the elderly will help improve the mobility of the soft tissues around your joints including muscles, connective tissue and skin. Performing many of your daily activities requires an unrestricted and pain free range of motion.Having adequate motion in your low back, hips, knees and ankles is an important factor in preventing injury or reinjury around these joints.


As we age our mobility may become restricted due to decreased activity levels, prolonged bed rest and extended wheelchair use. This can lead to long term poor positioning of your joints with resulting stiffness and pain.


Through time your muscle strength is altered as the tissue shortens and loses its normal elasticity. As the muscle shortens it is no longer able to produce adequate strength to perform daily activities.


This cycle continues and may lead to increased stiffness and pain in your joints.


Below are some leg stretches exercises designed to stretch the major areas of your lower body safely and effectively.

Bloggers- Try these exercises!

Click on the exercise to see a descriptive video!

Thanks to eldergym for these great videos and commentary!

1. Seated Lifts

• Improve the range of motion in your hips and legs.
• Help stabilize  your low back and pelvis.

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 flexibility 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.

SPOTLIGHT ON BLOGGERS: Which of these works best for you?