Which component is improved by stretching

Additionally, taking just a few minutes out of your day can have numerous positive effects on your body. The importance of stretching is something we learn at a young age. It helps to loosen up your muscles both before and after a workout to prevent them from becoming stiff. Stretching helps our bodies prepare for physical activity in order to stay safe and healthy while we exercise. Stretching is also a fundamental component of many physical therapy treatment plans, as it helps to strengthen and support muscles after an injury.

It can also help prevent injuries from developing in the future when done properly and regularly. The benefits of stretching can help in achieving your health and athletic pursuits, but the benefits go even further beyond that — it can help in improving your overall quality of life.

Schedule a consultation with one of our physical therapists today to find out how our services can benefit you! Request Appointment. The 5 Most Important Reasons for Stretching.

Sep 11 th Why should I stretch? This particular exercise also stretches a region that is frequently flexed as a result of improper posture. This stretch is a prime example of an exercise that is very easy to do incorrectly. However, with proper instruction and attention to body position and alignment, this stretch can be performed successfully with a minimal amount of risk and can actually improve spinal health and mobility. This position squeezes compresses the spinal discs and pinches nerve fibers in your back.

The two legged version of this stretch is even worse for you, and involves fully bending both legs behind you on either side.

The reason this stretch is harmful is that it stretches the medial ligaments of the knee remember, stretching ligaments and tendons is bad and crushes the meniscus. It can also result in slipping of the knee cap from being twisted and compressed. If you do not have the ability to support much of your weight with your hands when performing this exercise, your knees are likely to hyperextend.

This position can also place a great deal of pressure on the vertebrae of the lower lumbar. Furthermore, if you choose to have your legs spread apart, it places more stress on the knees, which can sometimes result in permanent deformity. Staying inverted for too long increases your blood pressure and may even rupture blood vessels particularly in the eyes.

Inverted positions are especially discouraged for anyone with spinal problems. Duration, Counting, and Repetition Breathing During Stretching : next section Some Risky Stretches : previous section How to Stretch : beginning of chapter One thing many people seem to disagree about is how long to hold a passive stretch in its position.

Various sources seem to suggest that they should be held for as little as 10 seconds to as long as a full minute or even several minutes. The truth is that no one really seems to know for sure. Many researchers recommend seconds. For the hamstrings, research suggests that 15 seconds may be sufficient, but it is not yet known whether 15 seconds is sufficient for any other muscle group.

A good common ground seems to be about 20 seconds. Children, and people whose bones are still growing, do not need to hold a passive stretch this long and, in fact, Kurz strongly discourages it. Holding the stretch for about seconds should be sufficient for this younger group of people.

A number of people like to count either out loud or to themselves while they stretch. Counting during a stretch helps many people achieve this goal. Many sources also suggest that passive stretches should be performed in sets of repetitions with a second rest in between each stretch. Breathing During Stretching Exercise Order : next section Duration : previous section How to Stretch : beginning of chapter Proper breathing control is important for a successful stretch.

Proper breathing helps to relax the body, increases blood flow throughout the body, and helps to mechanically remove lactic acid and other by-products of exercise. You should be taking slow, relaxed breaths when you stretch, trying to exhale as the muscle is stretching. Some even recommend increasing the intensity of the stretch only while exhaling, holding the stretch in its current position at all other times this doesn't apply to isometric stretching. The proper way to breathe is to inhale slowly through the nose, expanding the abdomen not the chest ; hold the breath a moment; then exhale slowly through the nose or mouth.

Inhaling through the nose has several purposes including cleaning the air and insuring proper temperature and humidity for oxygen transfer into the lungs.

The breath should be natural and the diaphragm and abdomen should remain soft. There should be no force of the breath.

Some experts seem to prefer exhaling through the nose as opposed to through the mouth saying that exhaling through the mouth causes depression on the heart and that problems will ensue over the long term. The rate of breathing should be controlled through the use of the glottis in the back of the throat. This produces a very soft "hm-m-m-mn" sound inside the throat as opposed to a sniffing sound in the nasal sinuses.

The exhalation should be controlled in a similar manner, but if you are exhaling through the mouth, it should be with more of an "ah-h-h-h-h" sound, like a sigh of relief.

As you breathe in, the diaphragm presses downward on the internal organs and their associated blood vessels, squeezing the blood out of them. As you exhale, the abdomen, its organs and muscles, and their blood vessels flood with new blood. This rhythmic contraction and expansion of the abdominal blood vessels is partially responsible for the circulation of blood in the body.

Also, the rhythmic pumping action helps to remove waste products from the muscles in the torso. This pumping action is referred to as the respiratory pump. The respiratory pump is important during stretching because increased blood flow to the stretched muscles improves their elasticity, and increases the rate at which lactic acid is purged from them.

Exercise Order When to Stretch : next section Breathing During Stretching : previous section How to Stretch : beginning of chapter Many people are unaware of the fact that the order in which you perform your stretching exercises is important. Quite often, when we perform a particular stretch, it actually stretches more than one group of muscles: the muscles that the stretch is primarily intended for, and other supporting muscles that are also stretched but which do not receive the "brunt" of the stretch.

These supporting muscles usually function as synergists for the muscles being stretched see section Cooperating Muscle Groups. This is the basis behind a principle that SynerStretch calls the interdependency of muscle groups. Before performing a stretch intended for a particular muscle, but which actually stretches several muscles, you should first stretch each of that muscle's synergists.

The benefit of this is that you are able to better stretch the primary muscles by not allowing the supporting muscles the opportunity to be a limiting factor in how "good" a stretch you can attain for a particular exercise. Ideally, it is best to perform a stretch that isolates a particular muscle group, but this is not always possible.

According to SynerStretch : "by organizing the exercises within a stretching routine according to the principle of interdependency of muscle groups, you minimize the effort required to perform the routine, and maximize the effectiveness of the individual exercises. In this case, it would be beneficial to stretch the lower back, buttocks, and calves first in that order, using stretches intended primarily for those muscles before they need to be used in a stretch that is intended primarily for the hamstrings.

As a general rule, you should usually do the following when putting together a stretching routine: stretch your back upper and lower first stretch your sides after stretching your back stretch your buttocks before stretching your groin or your hamstrings stretch your calves before stretching your hamstrings stretch your shins before stretching your quadriceps if you do shin stretches stretch your arms before stretching your chest When to Stretch Stretching With a Partner : next section Exercise Order : previous section How to Stretch : beginning of chapter The best time to stretch is when your muscles are warmed up.

If they are not already warm before you wish to stretch, then you need to warm them up yourself, usually by performing some type of brief aerobic activity see section General Warm-Up. Obviously, stretching is an important part of warming-up before see section Warming Up , and cooling-down after a workout see section Cooling Down. If the weather is very cold, or if you are feeling very stiff, then you need to take extra care to warm-up before you stretch in order to reduce the risk of injuring yourself.

Many of us have our own internal body-clock, or circadian rhythm as, it is more formally called: Some of us are "early morning people" while others consider themselves to be "late-nighters". Being aware of your circadian rhythm should help you decide when it is best for you to stretch or perform any other type of activity. Gummerson says that most people are more flexible in the afternoon than in the morning, peaking from about pm-4pm.

Also, according to HFLTA , evidence seems to suggest that, during any given day, strength and flexibility are at their peak in the late afternoon or early evening. If this is correct then it would seem to indicate that, all else being equal, you may be better off performing your workout right after work rather than before work.

Early-Morning Stretching Early-Morning Stretching When to Stretch : beginning of section On the other hand, according to Kurz , "if you need [or want] to perform movements requiring considerable flexibility with [little or] no warm-up, you ought to make early morning stretching a part of your routine. You should then begin your early morning stretching by first performing some static stretches, followed by some light dynamic stretches.

Basically, your early morning stretching regimen should be almost identical to a complete warm-up see section Warming Up. The only difference is that you may wish to omit any sport-specific activity see section Sport-Specific Activity , although it may be beneficial to perform it if you have time. Stretching With a Partner Stretching to Increase Flexibility : next section When to Stretch : previous section How to Stretch : beginning of chapter When done properly, stretches performed with the assistance of a partner can be more effective than stretches performed without a partner.

The problem with using a partner, however, is that the partner does not feel what you feel, and thus cannot respond as quickly to any discomfort that might prompt you to immediately reduce the intensity or some other aspect of the stretch. This can greatly increase your risk of injury while performing a particular exercise.

If you do choose to stretch with a partner, make sure that it is someone you trust to pay close attention to you while you stretch, and to act appropriately when you signal that you are feeling pain or discomfort. Stretching to Increase Flexibility Pain and Discomfort : next section Stretching With a Partner : previous section How to Stretch : beginning of chapter When stretching for the purpose of increasing overall flexibility, a stretching routine should accomplish, at the very least, two goals: To train your stretch receptors to become accustomed to greater muscle length see section Proprioceptors.

To reduce the resistance of connective tissues to muscle elongation see section How Connective Tissue Affects Flexibility. If you are attempting to increase active flexibility see section Types of Flexibility , you will also want to strengthen the muscles responsible for holding the stretched limbs in their extended positions. Before composing a particular stretching routine, you must first decide which types of flexibility you wish to increase see section Types of Flexibility , and which stretching methods are best for achieving them see section Types of Stretching.

The best way to increase dynamic flexibility is by performing dynamic stretches, supplemented with static stretches. The best way to increase active flexibility is by performing active stretches, supplemented with static stretches. The fastest and most effective way currently known to increase passive flexibility is by performing PNF stretches see section PNF Stretching. If you are very serious about increasing overall flexibility, then I recommend religiously adhering to the following guidelines: Perform early-morning stretching everyday see section Early-Morning Stretching.

Warm-up properly before any and all athletic activities. Make sure to give yourself ample time to perform the complete warm-up. See section Warming Up.

Cool-down properly after any and all athletic activities. See section Cooling Down. Always make sure your muscles are warmed-up before you stretch! Perform PNF stretching every other day, and static stretching on the off days if you are overzealous, you can try static stretching every day, in addition to PNF stretching every other day. Overall, you should expect to increase flexibility gradually.

However, If you really commit to doing the above, you should according to SynerStretch achieve maximal upper-body flexibility within one month and maximal lower-body flexibility within two months. If you are older or more inflexible than most people, it will take longer than this. Don't try to increase flexibility too quickly by forcing yourself. While strength and endurance exercises are also incredibly important, stretching can be especially helpful in helping a patient manage their aches and pains.

There are several benefits to stretching, including pain relief, increased flexibility, and functional improvement.

To learn more about stretching can benefit you, contact our office today. Our bodies are incredibly interconnected. While some stretches may seem obvious for example, stretching your back to relieve back pain , sometimes stretching certain parts of your body can provide relief in areas you may not have expected.

In that same back pain scenario, it is indeed obvious that some back stretches are needed. However, stretching the hips, hamstrings, and upper thighs can also provide relief for lower back pain. A physical therapist can provide targeted stretches for you that you may not have considered beforehand. Stretching plays a large role in benefitting your heart and your musculoskeletal system. In fact, it plays a large role in almost every aspect of your physical abilities.