Stretching…….Why don’t we do it?

As an Osteopath, I speak to many people regarding stretching. The general view is that stretching at best is an after thought. Whereas I believe it should be at the forefront of everybody’s mind! What we can all hopefully agree on is that for the body to maintain its injury free youthfulness, we must strive to maintain the suppleness and range of movement we had as a child. One of my favourite phrases I like to use is ” use it or lose it!”. I tend to use this phrase in many areas of life but it is very useful when talking about stretching. The body has an amazing ability to adapt to its environment, whether it’s at a physiological level or structurally. This adaptation occurs every day of our lives and depending on the activity we undertake the body will adapt accordingly. If a muscle is kept inherently shorter, that becomes its ‘normal’ length. The easiest example I can use would be the desk worker, who sits for prolonged hours of the day, knees bent, lower back flexed, forward head carriage and protracted shoulders. This on a daily/weekly/monthly/yearly occurrence will have caused some pretty severe adaptation by the body and not for the better!

Negative effects: Muscles such as the hamstrings will shorten causing extra strain on your lower back. Hip flexors such as the psoas muscles will shorten causing extra strain on the pelvis and lower back. Chest muscles such as the pectoralis major will shorten causing upper back, neck pain and possible neurological symptoms down the arms. The neck muscles below the back of the head will shorten causing headaches, neurological symptoms not to mention neck/shoulder pain. This posture is a recipe for stiffness, pain and poor vitality.
Muscles essentially connect one bone to another, they can cross one or many joints in the body. If the muscle is tight then the joints will be compressed, restricted and unable to distribute weight bearing forces appropriately. This is where injury occurs. Conversely supple, elastic muscles wont compress a joint and WILL absorb and distribute those weight bearing forces.

Elasticity is the name of the game!

If a muscle is shortened, it becomes less elastic, hypertonic and physiologically unbalanced, all the prerequisites for injury, not just to the muscle itself but to the associated joints, tendons and ligaments. Shortened, tight muscles are an injury waiting to happen.
Structurally, stretching is one of (or should be) the most important parts of our daily lives and Dynamic stretching is for me, the safest way to achieve strong, long and supple muscles. My background as a professional golfer and personal trainer and now Osteopath ( view my author page for more info) together with my full recovery from a back injury gives me a very unique insight to the benefits of correct stretching. I’ve always been keen on stretching but more so since my back operation where I had a microdiscectomy on my L4-L5 disc. I have tried and tested many different theories on how to stretch to ensure my back is as healthy as can be. Dynamic stretching is what works for me.

So what is dynamic stretching I hear you ask?

Dynamic stretching, according to Thomas Kurz, “involves moving parts of your body and gradually increasing reach, speed of movement, or both.”

Dynamic stretching consists of controlled leg and arm swings that take you gently and smoothly to the limits of your range of motion. In dynamic stretches, there are no bounces or “jerky” movements. An example of dynamic stretching would be slow, controlled leg swings, arm swings, or torso twists. Essentially focusing on all major areas of the body such as the neck, back, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees and ankles, we take them through various range of movements like flexing, extension, side bending and rotation.

The beauty part is there is no written rule how this should be performed, I tend to work my way through the areas of the body in a functional way, often incorporating multiple joints and areas at the same time. This ensures that I’m stretching and strengthening my body in functional movements that I require daily. Most importantly I’m retaining as much suppleness as I can.

Golden rule: start slowly and rhythmically, this is about working with your body NOT against it. Gradually increase the range of movement until you reach a feeling of barrier, now, don’t back off of this barrier but don’t push through it either, rhythmically go to it and you’ll begin to notice as your muscles and joints warm, the range can be extended. (remember this is working with the body, the moment you feel discomfort we are no longer working with the body).

Benefits to be enjoyed:

• Long, supple injury free muscles
• Aids blood circulation and lymphatic drainage
• Improves joint mobility by increasing synovial fluid in joints
• Helps to remove lactic acid adhesions that can build up in tissues
• Improves overall health and vitality

Why not give it a try and see if you feel the benefits yourself.

Author Lloyd Tilney B.ost