Humans have been stretching for a long time. Ancient Roman soldiers were documented stretching for injury prevention, general health and wellness, and preparedness. Heck, our pet cats and dogs even stretch after a nice long nap. When we think about flexibility we typically think about our body, but a flexible mind will definitely help. Hello tight shoulders and neck after a stressful day at the office. Deepak Chopra said ‘“an ancient Vedic aphorism says, ‘Infinite flexibility is the secret to immortality.’ When we cultivate flexibility in our consciousness, we renew ourselves in every moment and reverse the aging process.” In other words, stay flexible mentally and physically to stay young and vibrant. If that wasn’t enough to peak your interest in stretching, below are other reasons to get on a flexibility program:
Three reasons to stretch:
Performance. Increasing flexibility increases blood flow and maximizes muscle strength via the length-force curve. Balance, gait and posture are also improved with increased flexibility.
Biomechanics & joint health. Full joint range of motion keeps joints healthy. When range of motion is limited, the area of force is also narrowed potentially causing damage to that joint like early osteoarthritis.
Injury prevention and reduced pain. Limited range of motion of your joints can lead to compensations during activity, strained muscles, irritation to bursa, and others. Static stretching has also been shown to increase your pain tolerance.
“Tightness” can occur passively through postural adaptations like sitting all day or scarring after an injury or burn that heals over a joint. Tension can also originate from our nervous system resulting in activation or spasm of muscle. Hormones, age, and genetics also play a role in our flexibility. We lose about 10% flexibility per decade between 20 and 50 years old. A 20 year old female will be much more flexible than a 50 year old male due to these factors. Stress and activity levels are high on the list when it comes to your physical flexibility as well. However, a stretching program can help!
When we stretch, we elongate connective tissue - including muscle, tendon, ligament, joint capsules, fascia, and even blood vessels and nerves - to its maximum length around a joint. These changes in range of motion are attributed to neurological, mechanical, and psychological adaptations. There are different types of stretches which have different goals.
There are 3 main groups of stretches:
Dynamic. This type of stretch is best to do BEFORE your workout as part of your warm-up. To complete this type of stretch you’ll want to take the joint through the entire range of motion repetitively. Examples include deep squat stretches with rocking side-to-side and minimal hold time, lateral lunges alternating side-to-side, alternating Samsons, scorpions, overhead reaches. The goal of dynamic stretching is to warm-up your tissues in the full range of motion (especially at the end range) in preparation for your exercise.
Static. When you think about stretches, this is what you’re probably used to. Get in a position of maximum length of a muscle and joint complex and hold. Doorway chest stretch, half-kneeling hip flexor stretch, and long sitting hamstring stretch are all static types. Hold the stretch for 60 seconds. Do this stretch AFTER your workout or activity. This type of stretching is great for a general flexibility program and cool down after your workout.
Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF). This type of stretch has been most effective at elongating the tissue while communicating to the receptors and nervous system to relax. The most common types of PNF stretches are Contract-Relax (CR) and Agonist-Contract (AC). CR contracts against the stretch for a few seconds then relaxes into a deeper stretch for 30 seconds and repeated 2-3 times. AC uses a method called autogenic inhibition. Essentially contracting a muscle, say the quadriceps, relaxes the opposite muscle, the hamstrings.
Quick tips + golden nuggets:
Do not stretch statically or via PNF directly before a strength training session. Research has shown a decrease in performance (minimally <60 seconds, moderately >60 seconds) after these types of stretches due to the changes in the length-tension curve inherent in the muscle physiology.
For general fitness, stretch major muscle groups statically 5 days per week for about 5-minutes with 60-second holds (chest muscles, hamstrings, quads/hip flexors, calves, lats). Warm up before exercise with dynamic stretches.
Externally loaded resistance training has been shown to be just as effective in increasing range of motion as stretching itself.
Limited range of motion isn’t always a shortened muscle. It could be the joint!
Too much of a good thing can be bad. Although rare, too much mobility, or hypermobility, can cause pain and even irritate nerves and/or increase muscle tension.
If you’re unsure where you stand in your range of motion or just can’t seem to improve your range of motion, reach out to your local physical therapist. We are trained to evaluation your individual situation and prescribe exercises and stretches to help you keep doing what you love in the least amount of pain.
Happy stretching!
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