The seated lat stretch is for the broad muscle down the side of your back (latissimus dorsi) and the back of the shoulder. Sitting with your back gently rounded and your chin down, you lift one arm up and over, reach it across toward the other side with the palm up, and let your upper body turn the same way. You feel it along the side of your back and behind the shoulder of the reaching arm.

How to do the seated lat stretch

Sit on a steady chair with your feet flat and your hands on your thighs. Let your upper back round a little and drop your chin toward your chest.
Lift one arm up in front of you and over your head.
Reach that arm across toward the other side at about head height, and turn your palm to face the ceiling.
Let your upper body turn toward the side your hand is reaching to, with your head still down, until you feel a stretch along the side of your back and behind the shoulder.
Hold while you breathe slowly, then bring the arm back over your head and down to your thigh. Change arms if your physio has asked for both sides.

What you should feel

A stretch down the side of your back under the reaching arm, often spreading to the back of that shoulder and between the shoulder blades.

Common mistakes

Sitting bolt upright. The gentle slump and chin drop are part of the set-up.
Letting the reaching arm sag down across your chest instead of keeping it at about head height.
Hitching the shoulder of the reaching arm up toward your ear.
Twisting quickly or bouncing at the end of the turn.

How often

Many programs use 2 to 3 holds of 20 to 30 seconds with each arm that needs it, once or twice a day. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

A sharp pain, catch or pinch in your shoulder, back or neck, or pins and needles or numbness in your arm or hand while you stretch.
Pins and needles in your arm or hand that do not go away after you stop, or part of your arm or hand goes numb. Get medical advice the same day. If one side of your face or body suddenly goes numb or weak, or your speech becomes slurred or muddled, call emergency services, even if it goes away.
You feel dizzy, faint or unsteady. Stop and get medical advice the same day. If you faint, it does not settle within a few minutes of sitting still, or you cannot stand or walk steadily, call emergency services.
An electric shock feeling runs down your back or into your arms or legs as your head bends forward. Stop and get medical advice the same day.

From the clinic

The slumped, chin-down start comes from the video and the voice guide. It lets the reach pull along the side of your back, not just the shoulder. Move into the turn slowly and let the palm-up hand lead. Use a chair that will not tip or roll as you turn. If you would rather let a table carry your arms, the seated lat stretch on a table works both sides at once, and the side stretch over a ball is a standing option.

A slumped, twisted position is one physios often limit with low bone density (osteoporosis) or after a fracture in the spine. Check with your physio first, or keep your back upright and let only the arm reach. If you have had surgery on your spine, chest or heart in recent months, get the go-ahead from your surgical team or physio first.

After shoulder surgery, including a rotator cuff repair, or after a shoulder fracture or dislocation, follow your surgeon's or physio's plan, and do only the movements and range they have cleared. Many plans allow only passive movement at first, where the arm is moved for you and its muscles stay relaxed. Lifting the arm overhead and reaching it across the body are both movements that some shoulder operations limit for a while.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-28.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Seated lat stretch