Pain from stretching?

[Sara1000]

Thanks for all the great responses - a lot to consider. I skipped the pigeon stretches today and did runner's lunge/hip flexor stretch, calf stretch and quad stretches afterwards and the pain was diminished.

I take vitamin D, C and B-12 and Magnesium daily and eat mainly vegetables and seafood, not much sugar.

I tried to do that stretch where you're in a lunge and grab your back foot - it made my leg and foot cramp something fierce! That may indicate I need to work on that stretch or maybe that I should avoid it?

[beyond.omega]

Originally Posted by Sara1000

I tried to do that stretch where you're in a lunge and grab your back foot - it made my leg and foot cramp something fierce! That may indicate I need to work on that stretch or maybe that I should avoid it?

I think you might just need to ease into it. On the off chance hat you have a barre at home you can hook your foot on the barre and change the intensity by standing closer (which increases intensity) or farther away from the barre. (This is demo'ed on one of the Fluidity DVDs.)

[marya]

Originally Posted by Sara1000

Thanks for all the great responses - a lot to consider. I skipped the pigeon stretches today and did runner's lunge/hip flexor stretch, calf stretch and quad stretches afterwards and the pain was diminished...I tried to do that stretch where you're in a lunge and grab your back foot - it made my leg and foot cramp something fierce! That may indicate I need to work on that stretch or maybe that I should avoid it?

Sara, what you've described sounds exactly like my typical hip flexor pain, for which I do the stretches you mention (except that I do a modified seated pigeon). I stretch all the muscles in the back of the area as well, plus doing circular moves for the joints. Joints are often overlooked in stretch programs. Lubricating the joints via circular moves makes a huge difference for me, not only in stretch routines but also in strength and cardio workouts. I highly recommend Lee Holden's Qigong for Healthy Joints and Bones!

[Floren]

The stretch for hip flexors and side/front body shown in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egm3-ZlWUeY I have found helpful. He also has some other interesting videos on his YouTube channel.

I hope you find something that helps you!

[Lorelai]

Originally Posted by Sara1000

The other thing I've changed is at work (in a library) I do a lot of shelving of books near the floor - where I was bending (which bothered my back) I've started squatting to reach down there. Could that be the cause?

I worked for my local library system for 10 years, 5 of which were primarily spent shelving materials, and frankly I'm inclined to blame that! It's a lot of repetitive motion. This was after I moved on to a more customer service oriented position, but one of our Pages was having difficulty shelving on the lower shelves. Her supervisor came up with this option, which ultimately became very useful for many of us:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Big-Red-C...A&gclsrc=aw.ds

We moved to a new library building, where much of the shelving was extremely low (like practically at floor level, who thought of that?!), including the area where we shelved patron requests. This stool saved my life while I was pregnant, because my belly just got in the way (bending) and affected my balance (squatting). I mean, I could get down okay, but getting back up got challenging towards the end there! Anyway, point being, these stools are super useful in a library setting for all sorts of staff, and I'd talk to your manager about them.

[yogapam]

Originally Posted by Floren

The stretch for hip flexors and side/front body shown in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egm3-ZlWUeY I have found helpful. He also has some other interesting videos on his YouTube channel.

I hope you find something that helps you!

That is a good one!

Here is one of my favorites, can be done on the foam roller, a bolster, or a yoga block which would be a bit less intense. I often hold it for a few minutes
http://youtu.be/McDwukzhCfs

[Sara1000]

Originally Posted by Lorelai

We moved to a new library building, where much of the shelving was extremely low (like practically at floor level, who thought of that?!), including the area where we shelved patron requests. This stool saved my life while I was pregnant, because my belly just got in the way (bending) and affected my balance (squatting). I mean, I could get down okay, but getting back up got challenging towards the end there! Anyway, point being, these stools are super useful in a library setting for all sorts of staff, and I'd talk to your manager about them.

Thanks, Laura. Actually we have some rolling stools but they are not very practical for shelving in the youth dept. where I work because you go back and forth from higher to lower too much. It might be possible to arrange the books to match the height of the shelves, but in the few months I've had this problem I've just kept doing it the way I always have.

Fortunately I'm retiring at the end of this month so I think I can make it 4 more days

[Sara1000]

I should have posted my problem here sooner! Yesterday and this morning I've done the hip flexor stretches, especially the front lunge, reach to the side, and unbelievably the pain is virtually gone!

I ordered the foam roller and a few DVDs from Mary's sale at Toalfitnessdvds: Rejuvenation with Kathy Smith Stretch and Flex, The Method Pilates Dynamic Firming And Flexing, and Trudie Styler's Cardio Dance Flow. Anyone familiar with these?