Key takeaways
- Stretching can help people of all ages maintain flexibility and mobility.
- Physical therapist Dr. Gregory Minnis recommends foam rollers, slant boards, and stretching straps to help you safely complete simple stretches.
- Stretching equipment can help improve flexibility, reduce the effects of prolonged sitting, and help manage conditions such as plantar fasciitis and arthritis.
Stretching can help people address common pain points, such as stiffness from sitting for a long time at a desk, post-workout aches, and conditions that can affect flexibility. Regular stretching can also benefit older people.
We spoke to physical therapist Dr. Gregory Minnis, DPT, to offer advice on what stretches can help improve and maintain your flexibility day to day and the equipment you can consider using. He also spoke on how stretching can benefit you if you live with chronic conditions like plantar fasciitis.
This guide will help you choose the right tools for your needs to build a safe and sustainable stretching routine.
Let’s get into the benefits of stretching and look into some of the best stretching equipment available online.
Physical inactivity is
People may lead less active lifestyles
- a lack of time for exercise
- low motivation or energy for exercise
- a lack of safe spaces to exercise in
- weather
- gaps in social support and community
- a fear of injuries
- and expensive equipment or facilities
Low-activity pastimes like watching TV and using cell phones may also contribute to sedentary lifestyles.
Health conditions and age can also prevent people from being as active as they’d like. Over time, reduced movement can tighten the muscles and reduce flexibility.
Stretching can help with this, though. The authors of a 2024 study stated that stretching for 4 minutes and up to 10 minutes per week
A 2022 study found that 10 minutes of daily stretching offset the effects of physical inactivity during a 6-week trial, improving range of motion, strength, and some measures of jump performance.
Stretching has also been shown to increase range of motion in older people. An older 2001 study included 62 people with a mean age of around 85 with tight hamstring muscles. Stretching for 60 seconds around twice a week produced the most benefits, increasing their range of motion by up to 5.4 degrees.
Stretching using equipment can make your routine more varied. It may also help you target specific muscle groups and complete stretches using safe postures.
When shopping for kit to start a stretching routine at home, you can think about:
- which area of the body you would like to stretch
- what your health goals are, such as pain relief, increasing flexibility, or recovering from injury
- how easy it is to use
- how much space it will take up in the home, and how easy it is to store
- whether you can adapt it should your abilities change
- how easy it is to maintain or repair the equipment
- whether it fits your budget
Stay safe while stretching
You should always consult a healthcare professional before starting new exercise or stretching routines to make sure your chosen activities and equipment are right for your body and health goals. Read and follow equipment instructions carefully, and stop stretching if it’s very painful or makes any health conditions or injuries worse.
Minnis explains that prolonged sitting and desk work can lead to tightness in the:
- hamstrings
- hip flexors
- quadriceps
- pectoral muscles
- back muscles
Below are Minnis’ recommended and easy-to-do stretches for each muscle group.
Hamstrings
- Seated hamstring stretch: Move towards the edge of your chair. While maintaining a straight spine, straighten one knee and place your heel on the ground in front of you. Gently lean forward (without rounding your spine) until you feel a stretch in the back of the thigh (hamstrings). Hold this position for 20 to 30 seconds.
- Standing hamstring stretch: Find a small stool or a step. Place one foot on it and gently hinge forward at the hips (while maintaining a neutral spine) until you feel a stretch in the back of the thigh. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds.
Hip flexors and quadriceps
Minnis explains, “A standing lunge stretch is the best way to stretch the hip flexors. Standing in a lunge position and keeping the back straight, gently lunge forward until a stretch is felt in the front of the hip or thigh. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds.
“You can make this stretch more intense by placing the front leg or foot up on a stair or chair and performing the same stretch. Be sure not to let your back arch, as this will decrease the stretch.”
Chest wall
- Seated chest wall stretch: Sit up tall and straight at the edge of your chair. Clasp both hands behind your back and squeeze your shoulder blades together until a gentle stretch is felt in the chest. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds. You can do this stretch standing, too.
- Standing doorway stretch: Stand in a door frame in a lunge stance and place both hands on either side of the frame, just below shoulder height. Gently lean forward while keeping your back straight, and hold the stretch for 20 to 30 seconds.
Back, neck, and pelvis stretches for sitting
Minnis explained that spinal muscle stretches “actually stretch the thoracic and lumbar spine joints more than the spinal muscles themselves. The spinal muscles are actually being elongated and under tension when we sit in a rounded posture (think slumping and working on the computer), and the goal with this stretch is to improve the ability of the joints in the thoracic and lumbar spine to move into extension, which means bending backwards or straightening the spine from a slumped posture.”
The stretches he recommended include:
- Seated spinal extension: Sit up tall and place your hands behind your head. Gently lean back through the mid and upper back (think pulling your shoulder blades back and down while moving the chest up and forward). Hold for 10 to 20 seconds. You can also stand up to do this stretch.
- Thoracic spine extension: You can also stretch thoracic spine into extension using a foam roller placed perpendicularly to the spine. Rolling from the shoulder blades to the mid back, try to slightly bend backwards over the roller. Performing a cobra stretch in a prone position is also a great way to improve spinal extension.
- Anterior pelvic tilt: This is very important as it teaches us how to move our pelvis and spine out of the slumped or posterior pelvic tilt position we are often in while sitting. It strengthens and mobilizes the spinal extensors, which often become very stiff while sitting. To do this, tilt your pelvis forward and back and settle in the middle.
Below, Minnis outlines some simple home stretches suitable for older people, injury recovery, and certain chronic conditions.
Stretches for older adults
“The two stretches or exercises I would recommend for older folks are band pull-aparts and cat/cows.
“Band pull-aparts can be done standing at the wall with the feet slightly in front of the wall. You rest your upper back on the wall and squeeze the shoulder blades together. Try to stand up as tall as possible as you bring your hands back and towards the wall. You can do this with or without a Theraband.
“This stretch also strengthens the muscles in the upper back that help us to stand tall and bring our shoulder blades back into a more neutral posture.” Minnis recommends doing two rounds of 10 reps of this exercise.
A cat/cow stretch gets movement through the spine and pelvis.
Minnis said, “The cat/cow exercise can be done on all fours or sitting (which is essentially an anterior and posterior pelvic tilt.) I would recommend 10 reps in both directions.”
“Another good stretch done either sitting or standing is thoracic extension with a towel roll. Take a towel and roll it into a cylinder (the thicker the roll, the more extension, movement, and stretch.) Place the roll in the upper back vertically (parallel to the spine) and try to bend backwards over the roll. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds for 10 repetitions. The hands can be crossed or interlocked behind the head.”
Stretches for injury recovery
“Each injury is going to have specific stretches that help loosen up the affected muscle. If someone has a hamstring strain, they are going to want to do hamstring stretching to maintain the tissue length. Hamstring stretching can be done effectively in many different ways:
- Using a stretching strap while lying down or sitting and hooking the loop around the bottom of the foot and pulling up.
- Doing a standing stair or chair stretch. Place your heel on the step or chair and, while keeping the knee straight, hinge forward at the hip until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
- Trying a doorframe stretch. Lying down in a doorway, place a straight leg up the one side of the doorframe to stretch the hamstrings.
- Using foam rollers, foam massage balls, or a massage stick. These pieces of equipment are very effective at releasing and loosening up the soft tissues of the hamstrings. In fact, these devices are helpful for any soft tissue injury as they improve blood flow to the injury site, improve muscle mobility, and help alleviate pain.”
Below are Minnis’ recommendations on how to use home stretching equipment for various common injuries.
- Foam Rollers: Foam rollers are great at loosening up soft tissue and for improving spinal joint mobility (i.e. bending backwards over a roller while lying down.)
- Massage balls: These are great because they come in many different sizes and firmness levels so you can find one that works for different areas and muscle groups.
- Slant boards: Slant boards are good for Achilles or calf injuries as they make stretching the area very easy. They’re also great for older folks who have difficulty shifting the weight onto the front of their feet (anterior weight shifts), which will negatively impact gait quality and balance. Stretching on a slant board can improve the ability to shift weight anteriorly.
- Stretching straps or towels: A towel can be used the same way that a stretching strap can. We can stretch the calves and hamstrings by wrapping it around the foot and pulling towards us. You can stretch the shoulders, quadriceps, and other muscle groups more easily with the use of a strap.
- Frozen water bottles: Good for plantar fascia pain as you can put one on the ground and roll, which helps loosen up the fascia and provides some pain relief/inflammatory relief from the ice.
Stretches for chronic conditions
Arthritis
“Stretching, for someone with arthritis, is incredibly important and highly underrated. Stretching and movement increase synovial fluid production to the joint being stretched. Synovial fluid is what lubricates our cartilage and allows our joints to move more smoothly.
Stretching our muscles and joints keeps our cartilage (or what cartilage we have left) healthy and lubricated, making it easier and less painful to move.
“I recommend only holding stretches for short periods with arthritis. 10 to 30 seconds is enough (for 2 to 3 reps). If we stretch/move an arthritic joint more frequently throughout the day we will decrease the stiffness and pain so commonly felt when we remain stationary for too long (think first waking up in the morning).
“However, this is joint specific. For instance, someone with knee arthritis would benefit from simple hamstring stretching, hip flexor stretching, calf stretching, and quadriceps stretching.”
To learn what stretches may be best for your situation, consider chatting with a healthcare professional.
Plantar fasciitis
“Rolling a frozen water bottle over the plantar fascia or using a massage ball, tennis ball, lacrosse ball, or baseball is a great way to loosen up the plantar fascia. I recommend doing this for 2 to 5 minutes.
Massage balls come in different firmness levels, and you should choose something that feels like it is getting into the tissue effectively. If you are very symptomatic, a tennis ball is a good option because it is very soft. Someone who wants a firmer option should use a lacrosse or baseball. Calf stretches are also very important for reducing plantar fasciitis symptoms, and a slant board is a great way to stretch the calf and plantar fascia.”
To learn more about stretching
How often you should use stretching equipment at home depends on several factors, including your fitness level, the equipment you’re using, and most importantly, your health goals, such as flexibility, injury recovery, or pain relief.
You can see benefits from stretching every few days. Older guidance from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) states that people should aim for 15 to 30 seconds of stretching, 2 to 4 times, for 2 to 3 days per week, according to a clinical commentary on stretching and rehabilitation from 2012.
Newer research suggests daily stretching can improve flexibility.
You should consult a healthcare professional to decide how much stretching is appropriate for your circumstances and goals.
Yes, 30 minutes of stretching a day is enough to see some health benefits. A 2022 study concluded that 10 minutes of daily stretching can improve flexibility lost to low activity levels. Plus, a 2023 study suggests that regular stretching can be beneficial for pain sensitivity and increasing range of motion.
The type of equipment commonly used to increase flexibility includes stretch straps and foam rollers. There are more specialised pieces of equipment available to stretch the calves, ankles, and feet, such as wedge-like steps and blocks.
You can make stretching equipment by using everyday household objects such as towels, tennis balls, and even a broomstick. You can use towels to hook around your feet to deepen back and hamstring stretches, tennis balls for myofascial release stretches, and broomsticks to complete chest and shoulder stretches.
You can also use the wall and floor to perform a variety of stretches for the whole body, too.
Using everyday items may limit the types of stretches you can do, but it can save you money and make it easier to start a stretching routine. However, you should always keep safety top of mind and avoid making complicated equipment or items that will need to support your body weight.
Stretching can be very beneficial, especially for people living more sedentary lifestyles, whether due to their work, health, or age. Some research suggests that daily stretching for between 10 and 30 minutes can have noticeable benefits for a person’s flexibility and range of motion.
Simple home equipment can help you complete stretches safely and make a stretching routine more varied.