MomentStretch
Seated figure in profile holding one knee up toward the chest with both hands.

Lower back · Seated

Seated knee to chest

Hugging one knee toward the chest while sitting tall, for a stretch in the lower back and the top of the buttock.

  • Hold 15 to 30 s each side
  • Held stretch

Play a routine with this Read the steps

How to do it

  1. Sit in a stable chair without wheels, with both feet flat.
  2. Lift your right knee toward your chest and hold the back of the thigh with both hands.
  3. Gently draw the thigh toward you, keeping your back straight rather than leaning forward.
  4. Hold, lower the foot slowly and repeat with the left leg.

How long

Hold for about 30 seconds each side, as in the Mayo Clinic video.

What you should feel

Tension in the lower back and the upper part of the buttock.

Stop if…

  • Pain, numbness, tingling or pins and needles, or dizziness: stop and do not push through it.
  • Pain in the hip joint or the groin.
  • You have had a hip replacement: check with your surgeon or physiotherapist first.

Variations

  • Gentler. Lift the knee only as far as is easy and rest the hands on the knee.

Common mistakes

  • Rounding the back to reach the knee.
  • Pulling on the shin, which bends the knee hard.
  • Using a chair with wheels.

Use it in a routine

The stretch routine builder can play this with other lower back stretches, with a countdown for each side and a chime at every change. The stretch break timer adds stretches like it to a break after each work interval.

It is part of this ready-made routine: Lower back and hips, 5 minutes.

Related stretches

Sources

Written from published guidance by health services, physiotherapy and ergonomics bodies. Last reviewed .