Shoulder stretch with band

Video Transcript

Hey everyone, Dr. Alibhai here. Today, I’m going to teach you a stretch for your swimmer’s muscle, the latissimus dorsi, which anchors from your shoulder down to your lower back and crosses over to the other side. It’s often responsible for neck, shoulder, and lower back pain.

You’ll need a thick, heavy-duty band, which you can find on Amazon—I can send you the link. Anchor it to a pull-up bar or another secure spot higher up. Wrap the band around the back of your wrist with your palm facing away. Hold both ends of the band with your hand.

Next, sit back into a squat position while pulling the band towards you. If your lower back is sensitive, ensure you keep a straight back and avoid rounding it. If it feels comfortable and good to open up, you can do that as well. Now, pull the band towards you and pull your shoulder blade down and back.

Take a deep breath in. As you breathe out, keep your feet planted, let your shoulder relax, and allow the band to pull and open up the area. Increase the tension as needed. Take another deep breath from your belly to fill the space, breathe out, and let your shoulder relax further as you sit back more.

For a deeper stretch, straighten your left leg if using your left arm. Take a deep breath in and breathe out. Hold this for 20 to 30 seconds. You can gently wiggle your arm if it helps open up the area more. Be sure to stretch both sides. This should greatly increase your shoulder range of motion.

It’ll help free things up. Let me know how it goes. Try doing this daily. Take care now.