How does stretching help the back heal?

Regular stretching lengthens the muscle tissue, improves blood flow throughout the body, and speeds the essential delivery of oxygen and other key nutrients to your back. Usually when you have an injured or aching back, you will also have some progressive stiffness involved. A regular stretching program allows you to gently push the range of motion to help mobilize the spine and soft tissues for continuous pain relief. Your stretching exercises should focus on achieving flexibility in the disc, muscles, ligaments, and tendons, as well as muscles not directly involved with the back area such as the legs and arms.

If your back is injured then stretching may help. As long as you have been cleared by your physician to start light stretching then please do! If you have an injury in your back then more than likely a muscle is overly tight and needs to be stretched. Much of the time, our injuries are the result of an overly active muscle that is so wound up that we need something or someone to stretch it. A great way to stretch your entire body is through self-myofascial release which will be completed through foam rolling. In addition, forms of exercise such as yoga will increase flexibility which will help prevent injury and tightness of muscles.