Education

Person stretching on a beach during sunset

Explore simple guides for common types of pain, along with stretches and movement tips that may help you find relief. These resources are designed to support you between visits and give you practical tools you can use at home.

An anatomical illustration of the human pelvis, showing bones and labeled muscles including the iliacus and the psoas major and minor muscles, with the iliopsoas muscle group highlighted.

Psoas (hip flexor) Stretch

  • Psoas muscle tightness is one of the most common causes of low back pain. This is common in people who spend a lot of their day sitting and commuting.

  • This muscle bends the leg at the hip

  • Ways to prevent this contributing to pain is stretching and standing more throughout the day

  • Try to spend half of your day sitting - consider using a sit-to-stand desk

Step-by-step exercise instructions showing a person in a blue shirt, gray shorts, and yellow shoes doing a lunge. Step 1: Tilt pelvis, step 2: Slight lunge forward, step 3: Hold for 20 seconds, step 4: Repeat steps 3-4 times.
An anatomical illustration of the pelvis and upper thigh, highlighting the pelvic bones, hip muscles, and nerves in yellow.

Piriformis Stretch

  • The piriformis muscle is a common source of pain when tight in the buttock.

  • It is often a main contributor for “sciatica”

  • Sciatica is when the sciatic nerve is compressed and leads to pain down the back of the thigh. This pain typically stops at the knee.

  • Likewise, with the psoas it is commonly tight in people that do a lot of sitting

  • The piriformis muscle rotates the leg

A woman sitting on a bench looking at her phone while a girl sits on a bed reading a book.
Posterior view of a human skeleton highlighting the trapezius muscle in orange from the back of the skull to the middle of the back.

Upper Trapezius (neck) Stretch

  • For every inch your head is in front of your shoulders it adds 10 lbs to the weight of your head

  • Slouching or your shoulders forward - at the computer or car are common causes of neck tightness and pain

  • This tightness can also lead to headaches and back pain

  • Stress will often contribute to upper trapezius tightness and neck pain

Side view of a woman with ponytail wearing a blue sports bra, demonstrating good posture; next to her, a girl with short hair and a white shirt, sitting in a chair with her head tilted and resting on her hand, showing poor posture.
An anatomical model of a human foot showing bones, muscles, and other structures against a black background.
An illustration of human legs showing muscles, bones, and knee joints.

Heel Pain / Plantar Fasciitis

  • Heel pain and plantar fasciitis are typically caused by tight calf muscles

  • It is typically worse in the morning and improved with walking - this is because the calf is stretching out

  • Hard arch support - insoles for your shoes can be beneficial

  • It is important to wear this support in all shoes and continuously

Illustration of a person performing calf stretches against a wall with tips for treating heel pain, including stretching throughout the day and wearing a hard arch support to support the foot and limit pain.
Home