Lower Extremity Stretching Exercises - Painfreefeet.ca

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STRETCHING – GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
The principles of stretching muscles are as follows:
1. Isolate the muscle group as shown in picture.
2. Find zero tension in the muscle.
3. Find first awareness of tension in muscle.
4. Less is best. Do not over-stretch.
Should not be painful.
5. Allow loss of tension in the muscle
6. Repeat process 3 more times.
Diagrams from the book written by Steven Stark titled “The Stark Reality of Stretching”, 3rd ed. Richmond,
Stark Reality Publishing, 1999
Calf
Quads
Lying down on your side is the best way to begin
doing quad stretches.
You can progress to standing quad stretches if you
feel comfortable.
Hamstrings
It is best to start off doing hamstring
stretches as shown by lying on your
back.’
Start with your buttock comfortably away
from the wall and knees flexed.
Slowly raise your heels against the wall
by straightening your knees
Please turn over ->

Stark S: The Stark Reality of Stretching, 3rd ed. Richmond, Stark Reality Publishing, 1999
Groin
Keep back straight. Start with knees
bent and the bottoms of both feet touching each other.
Slowly bring your heels toward your groin until you feel
a stretching in the groin muscles.
Your back should not be in the bent position during this
stretch.
Tensor fascia lata stretches (TFL)
This is an important stretch for runners.
Start off lying down on your back with
leg crossed over the opposite knee that
is bent.
Slowly bring the heel on the ground
closer to the buttock until you feel a
stretch in the area shown in picture 2.
If you do not feel a stretch you can
progress to placing your hands behind the
thigh to place more of a stretch on the TFL.