5 Essential Stretches for Truckers
It’s no secret truck drivers do not always get enough movement day-to-day. The best way to avoid blood clots and hypertension is by stretching! This non-comprehensive list of stretches is something you could do all from the comfort of your driver’s seat (but please, proceed with caution, and do not perform the stretches while the vehicle is in motion). Following these stretches at least once a day will help you feel more refreshed and help relieve muscle fatigue and tension.
1. Neck Rotations
Keeping your torso forward, slowly turn your head to the left and right, holding each side for a few seconds. While still facing forward, slowly lift your head up and down and hold for a few seconds. This should provide relief to the base of your neck.
2. Shoulder Push
Facing forward, use your shoulder muscles to push your shoulders forward, as if you are trying to get them to touch. Unless you’re crazy flexible, they probably won’t, but you should the tension release in your shoulder blades.
3. Upper Back
Use the same technique as the shoulder push except you’re going to push your shoulders back. The goal is to make your shoulder blade get as close together as possible. Once you release your shoulders you should feel relief in your upper back and shoulder blades.
4. Wrist Bends
Make a fist with your knuckles forward and palm towards the ground. Next, you’ll want to roll your closed fist down toward the ground, hold for a few seconds and do the inverse. Roll your wrist up and make sure you’re knuckles are to the sky.
5. Back Flex
Start by pulling your shoulders back (similar to the upper back stretch), and roll your hips back. This step might be difficult to understand, but you are essentially arching your back. If this is too difficult try flipping the steps, rolling your hips back, then pulling your shoulders back. The goal for this stretch is to provide relief in the lower to mid-back.
Conclusion
Stretching keeps the muscles flexible, strong, and healthy, and we need that flexibility to maintain a range of motion in the joints. Without it, the muscles shorten and become tight. That puts you at risk for joint pain, strains, and muscle damage. This list is not the end-all-be-all of stretches. Let us know in the comments what upper body stretch you like to do.
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