What Doesn’t Bend, Breaks
The What, Why, How, and Which of Stretching! And some pitfalls to know about and avoid.
Personal Trainers, Physical Therapists, and Instagram Influencers love to tell everyone to stretch. But if you’re not looking to become a contortionist this might seem like an unnecessary part of a workout. Let’s dig a little deeper and learn a bit about stretching – and why it really is important!
What:
There are two major types of stretching, or elongating muscle. Static stretching is when a position is held and this is great for those new to stretches and injury recovery – an example is a standing quad stretch. Dynamic stretching is a controlled and repeated movement through the whole available range and is great for improving strength and flexibility; dynamic stretches are excellent for warming up before a workout – an example is a cat/cow stretch. There is no “bounce” in a dynamic stretch!
Why:
Stretching has many benefits – the most important of which is that you feel good afterwards. But what actually happens when we stretch that helps us feel good?
Flexibility and strength are two sides of the same coin. A healthy body, including healthy joints, consists of a balance of strength and flexibility to create stable mobility.
Stretching increases blood flow through small vessels within our muscle fibers. This improves muscular health and can help heal areas where there might be injury. Because of the impact on the vascular system, regular stretching can have a measurable effect on overall cardiovascular health by lowering blood pressure.
Stretching limits postural pain such as pain from sitting at a desk all day. Regular stretching has been shown to decrease neck, shoulder, and back pain more effectively than adjusting desk ergonomic setups alone. With regular stretching the muscles maintain mobility and blood flow and decrease the pain associated with immobility.
Stretching can also improve muscular control, improve sleep, increase cognitive abilities, improve your mood, and reduce the chance of injury.
How:
Introduce a new stretching routine slowly and intentionally. A good stretching program is balanced, doesn’t take too long, and most importantly leaves you feeling better after!
When you move into a static stretch, aim for a light pulling sensation. Avoid “sharp” feelings. A light to moderate “pull” that dissipates when you release the position is usually ideal. The stretch should not be intense or painful and any discomfort should stop as soon as you release the stretch. You should not have to change your breathing pattern because of the intensity of the stretch. If you are stretching so “deep” that you hold your breath the muscles will not actually lengthen.
Try to feel the stretch in the middle of your limbs – not on a joint. For example, a lower leg stretch is usually best if you can feel it in the middle of your calf, not at your knee. Make small adjusts to your position while in a stretch to see how you can feel the stretch in different places.
Stretch regularly. Regular stretching (10 minutes 3+ times a week) will result in changes in your mobility over time.
If you’ve over stretched, rest the area for a few days. If you do not feel as if you are recovering well, reach out to a physical therapist for guidance on recovery and returning to your exercise and stretching routine safely.
Which stretches should you do?
The following is one example of a basic whole body stretching routine for those without injury or medical conditions. **Check with your doctor or a physical therapist to see if this routine will be appropriate for you.**
Find a video and descriptions of this routine here:
10+ Minute Full Body Stretching Routine
• Cat cow: 6 Times
• Child’s Pose: 30 Seconds
• Standing thoracic extension stretch on wall: 30 Seconds
• Calf stretch: 30 Seconds on each side
• Standing Quad stretch: 30 Seconds on each side
• Pec stretch: 30 Seconds on each side
• “World’s Best Stretch”: 3 Times on each side
• Childs Pose: 30 Seconds
There are nearly endless options online to find other stretching routines – and you can develop your own set of stretches based on the areas of your body that feel especially tight or stiff, but be sure to incorporate a variety of stretches, always start with gentle stretching avoiding sharp sensations, and move into the positions slowly.
Pitfalls to Avoid:
Not strengthening – Balance between strength and flexibility is required. Sometimes stiffness is actually a sign of weakness.
Stretching only some muscles – It’s important to build equal flexibility in both directions of a movement.
Bouncing – Bouncing (or ballistic stretching) is dangerous. With a “bounce” small fibers of the muscles can be caught off guard and “startle” which can cause injury. Move into stretches, even dynamic ones, in a slow and controlled manner.
Overstretching
- Stretching an injury: Stretching an injured area too early, too much, or stretching certain types of injuries like ligamentous sprains is not advised. Check with a physical therapist or sports medicine doctor if you have an injury and want to return to stretching. If you feel a sharp pain in a stretch, this might be a sign of an injury you did not know you had, avoid that position until you heal or until you get clearance from a medical provider to stretch the area.
- Stretching too deep: The saying is wrong: “no pain no gain” does NOT apply to stretching. You can overstretch – if you push into a position faster or with more force than your body can accommodate you risk injuring the muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, discs, nerves, or even the bones. While stretching is generally safe, it is very important to avoid pushing deeply into a stretch. Your body’s sensation of pain is there to prevent injury, so when a stretch begins to feel painful, back off! The flexibility you might be seeking is not going to happen if you push deeper into a stretch as your body will either work to protect you from overdoing it or will get injured. Always stretch at a “comfortable” level.
- Stretching in a hypermobile body: hypermobility isn’t just being flexible, it can be a sign of a medical condition that can cause instability, chronic pain, cardiovascular, and digestive issues. Extremely hypermobile people can certainly benefit from stretching to maintain muscle and cardiovascular health, but these folks might not have an accurate sense of what a “good” stretch feels like and are at risk or overstretching unintentionally. People with hypermobility should consult with a physical therapist to assess their individual condition and set up a personalized healthy stretching routine. Hypermobility generally responds very well to strength training – so all you extra-flexible people be sure to keep up with your Rockefeller classes over at the Fit Inn! NYFitInn.com
You can always reach out to us at Good-Life-PT.com to help you develop your own stretching routine to pair with your workouts or your work meetings.
