By Dr. Paul Kochoa
Continuing the lower back recovery, we’re moving onto another ELDOA stretch for the last segment of the lower back, L5-S1. This space is the bottom of your spine and joins your spine to your sacrum, a part of your pelvis.
As I mentioned in my previous post, perform a gentle warm up prior to attempting any ELDOA stretching. It is an active stretch using your body position and tension to decompress joints in the body. Move into positions slowly, gradually increasing tension as you go, holding maximum tension for up to 1 minute, and gradually reducing tension and move out of the end position slowly to avoid injury or the rebound effect.
There are many ways to adapt ELDOA stretches if you find the end position difficult to achieve. Ultimately, it is the amount of tension and subtle changes in your body position that make the ELDOA method so effective in decompressing joints and maintaining joint health.
I hope you enjoyed this 6 week Summer Meltdown series. On behalf of Thrive Morris, Atlantic Health Systems, Saint Clare’s Hospital, the Morris County Chamber of Commerce, and all the other contributors to the Summer Meltdown, thank you for reading, and remember to Flourish, Prosper, and Progress!
For more information regarding the ELDOA method, go to https://www.eldoamethod.com/
Accompanying video: Lumbar L5-S1 ELDOA https://youtu.be/El1VLAL4VEk
Dr. Paul Kochoa is an orthopedic doctor of physical therapy in Randolph, NJ and can be reached at paul@par5pt.com