What should I avoid when doing the lying-down spine extension stretch?

The extension stretch exercise helps improve lower spine extension, thereby decreasing pain associated with excessive flexion. Lying on your stomach on the floor, prop yourself up by primarily using your arms to lift your upper body rather than using your back muscles. Keep your pelvis down and allow it to relax into the floor. This brings the spine into extension. Allow your pelvis to relax into the floor. Repeat 5 to 10 times. If this passive stretch feels good for your spine, you can gradually use more of your back muscles to help bring the spine into extension. This will train the back extensor muscles to recruit more easily.

Common mistakes when doing the extension stretch exercise lying face down include:

• Pushing up too high and bringing your pelvis off the floor can strain your spine and cause back pain. Push up just enough to feel a nice stretch into extension.

• Not stopping when you feel pain will, of course, cause more pain. Learn to be in tune with yourself and understand how much is enough versus how much is too much.

• Overrecruiting your back muscles while propping up can initially cause back pain for some with flexion problems. Keep your back muscles relaxed at first; once you've determined that the exercise won't exacerbate your pain (and lessens it, in fact), then you can use your back muscles to help.

When performing this stretch avoid excessively hyper extending your spine. Additionally stop the exercise if you feel pain. You should feel a slight stretch in your abdominals, not spinal pain. Lastly, make sure you breathe normally and avoid holding your breath.