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Long car rides or flights can cause muscle stiffness and occasionally some back pain. After a recent road trip, here are my favourite stretches and exercises to get limber.

1. Standing quad stretch: The quadriceps muscle is at the front of the thigh and often gets tight with prolonged sitting. Hold for 30-60 sec per leg. 

2. Kneeling hip flexor stretch: The hip flexor muscle is at the front of the hip and similar to the quadriceps can get tight with prolonged sitting. Hold for 30-60 sec per leg. 

3. Glute bridge: Shortening and contracting the glutes can help lengthen the hip flexors and quads. Perform 2 sets x 10 reps. 

4. Cat/cow: Global flexion and extension of the spine can help improve spinal mobility after a period of staying static. Perform 1 set x 15-20 reps. 

5. Downward dog: This stretch targets the latissimus dorsi muscle which is a big muscle that attaches to your shoulders and down to your low back. In this position, the hamstrings and calves are also getting lengthened. This posture is one of my favourites because it affects the whole body! Hold for 30-60 seconds. 

After spending about 5-10 minutes doing these exercises, I felt much better from that long car ride. It doesn’t take too much time to get moving and to get the blood flowing again. If you are prone to back pain especially after prolonged sitting, ask your physio if these are ok for you to try!

Charlotte Reiher, MPT, BKIN, CAFCI