Just as you floss your teeth to maintain optimal oral health, it’s equally important to “floss” your spine for overall wellbeing. In his video, chiropractor Dr. Laurie shares some beneficial stretches that should be incorporated into your daily routine. Particularly in today’s digital age, where we spend countless hours hunched over laptops, computers, and phones—wreaking havoc on our backs—taking care of our spine is crucial.
Dr. Laurie’s recommended exercises, collectively known as “spinal floss,” consist of movements performed six times each, twice daily. These exercises are designed to alleviate the strain on your back and promote spinal health.
4 Stretches Recommended by Dr. Laurie
Shoulder Rolls: Start by bringing your shoulders up to your ears and rolling them back. Repeat this six times. Then reverse the motion, bringing your shoulders up and moving them forward. This stretch is excellent for relieving tension in the trapezius muscles.
Nods: Gently touch your chin to your chest, then slowly lift your head back. This exercise should also be repeated six times. Nods help to stretch and strengthen neck muscles.
Turns: Turn your head as far to the left as possible, then to the right. You can use your hand to gently guide your chin during this movement. Again, repeat this exercise six times. Turns are great for improving neck flexibility.
Tilts: Tilt your head as if trying to touch your ear to your shoulder, then switch sides. Do this six times. Tilts are beneficial for relieving neck strain.
End with another round of shoulder rolls to wrap up the routine.
These simple yet effective exercises can immensely improve your spinal health, particularly if you cannot visit your chiropractor regularly.