As we are coming into warmer weather here in Sydney, more and more people are taking to the outdoors for a bit of recreation and exercise. With people coming out of their winter 'hibernation,' I thought it timely to explore an important but often over-looked aspect of health and fitness: STRETCHING. This may seem like a simple concept, but the reality is that there exist many different ways of stretching, some more effective and less likely to cause injury than others. Over the course of several articles, we will explore these various stretching techniques and discover tips on how to stretch safely and effectively. But for today's article, let's look at stretching as a general phenomenon, and learn some of the basic rules for safe stretching that can be applied across nearly all techniques.
:: Benefits of Stretching ::
What do you think of when you hear the word 'stretching'? Many people will think of an elite athlete preparing for the big match or race, like the woman in the picture above. Perhaps others will think of a cat, getting up from a warm windowsill, arching its back, then reaching forward with its front legs and splaying out its toes as it yawns. Simply put, stretching is the act of producing tension in a specific muscle by elongating that muscle, so as to restore or improve flexibility within the muscle tissue. But stretching isn't just for cats and athletes! Stretching provides every body with many benefits! So let's take a brief look at these benefits:
Stretching improves muscle and other soft tissue flexibility. This is important because it enhances the range of motion of your body's joints, allowing for greater freedom of movement with less strain on the musculo-skeletal system. In this way, stretching also assists in reducing the risk of injury during physical activity, as well as generally resulting in improved posture. Bodies that are lacking in flexibility will usually display poor posture due to muscle imbalances, which can lead to chronic pain syndromes and sports injuries. Stretching regularly, as well as before and after physical activity, will improve flexibility and thus, may result in a body that is more symmetrically-balanced and less likely to incur injury. Additionally, stretching may also improve blood flow to your muscles. Tight, chronically-shortened muscles may become oxygen-starved and nutrient-deprived, as the tension within the fascia and muscles acts to restrict blood flow to the muscle fibres. This decreases the availability of the oxygen and nutrients that are carried in the blood to the affected muscle cells. By stretching these tight muscles, tension in the fascia and muscle fibres is reduced, therefore improving the circulation of blood to these cells.
:: Safe & Effective Stretching ::
Of course, the benefits of stretching may only be realised if the stretches are performed in a safe and effective manner. In future blogs, we will explore several individual stretching techniques, and learn the safest and most effective way to incorporate each type of stretching technique into our health regime. However, there are some general ideas to keep in mind when you are stretching, that apply to most techniques and will help you get the most out of your stretching:
1) Stretch for your activity: Muscles are highly adaptive and will chronically contract to adopt the posture or activity you do most. For example, if you spend all day sitting at a computer, then you will most likely have chronically shortened hip flexors due to the seated posture, and pecs (chest muscles) due to constantly reaching forward for the keyboard and mouse. If you are training to run a marathon, you'll quite likely have tight calves, hamstrings and quads, because the demands of running long distances will cause these muscles to tighten. By stretching the muscle groups most affected by your posture &/or activity, you will help to increase the length of these chronically-shortened muscles.
2) Do not stretch if you are injured, unless you have been directed to by your healthcare provider: Many injuries may be made worse by stretching during the acute stage of the injury. Avoid complicating your injury by only stretching as directed by your physiotherapist, etc.
3) Back off the stretch if you feel pain: Over-stretching can actually cause your muscles to tighten up, as the muscle tissue contracts in response to pain. Or worse, an overstretched muscle may even tear. Stretching should be pleasant! You should feel a slight increase in tension within the muscle as it is lengthened during the stretch. If instead you feel pain, then ease off on the amount of tension you are putting on the stretched muscle.
4) Do not bounce: This is called 'ballistic stretching,' and it is an outdated stretching technique that shortens muscles and can even cause injury. We'll look more closely at this type of stretching in a later blog.
5) Stretch regularly and frequently: If you were training for a marathon, you would go for a run several times a week to increase your performance. The same rule applies to your muscles and stretching - muscles that are frequently and regularly stretched will improve and maintain better flexibility and length.
6) Stretch before and after physical activity: Include some light stretching at the end of your warm-up routine, just prior to your activity, and then again once you have completed your activity. This may assist in reducing injury potential as well as maintain better body balance.
7) Relax: Many people tense up as they hold a stretch. Depending on the stretching technique you are using, you may find that relaxing into the stretch will allow you to take the stretch just a little further without causing pain or injury.
8) Use your breath: Exhaling as you lengthen the muscle will assist the body to further relax into the stretch. Prior to going into a stretch, breathe in; exhale as you move into the stretch position, and then maintain normal breathing as you maintain your stretch.
:: Coming Up Next ::
So there you have some basic information about stretching. In the future, I hope to explore several of the more popular stretching techniques in-depth, to further our understanding of how these stretches work to increase flexibility, maintain good posture and generally improve our health. So check back often, and until next time - Happy Stretching!
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