Do you stretch regularly? If you don’t, know that you’re not the only one slacking off on this vital aspect of exercise!
Stretching is an important element of physical therapy. Targeted stretches are incorporated into practically every physical therapy treatment plan. Stretching is beneficial to everyone, from athletes aiming to improve their technique to seniors seeking relief from chronic aches and pains.
Stretching not only improves flexibility, but it’s also a natural approach to relieve discomfort and make any subsequent physical therapy treatments go more smoothly.
To learn more about incorporating stretching into your life, call IMG Physical Therapy today for more information and a consultation!
Do you know about the benefits of stretching?
There are a lot of benefits of stretching that are not always discussed! Five of the best ones are as follows:
1. Stretching is all natural and totally free
It is obvious that if we experience back pain, we should stretch out our backs. However, sometimes stretching your legs during physical therapy can provide unexpected relief to your back, as well. Sometimes we forget how interconnected all of our body parts are!
In fact, your hamstrings, upper thighs, and hips can all play a big part in creating lower back pain relief. Likewise, improving your posture through your torso can provide the kind of support you need to keep your spine from compressing, which helps you avoid shoulder and neck pain. Essentially, stretching different parts of your body can provide relief to places you may not have considered!
2. Stretching helps boost circulation
It can help you relax, but it has other benefits for your heart and musculoskeletal system as well. Stretching is important for practically all aspects of your physical ability.
Tight muscles reduce the amount of oxygen available to the body, depriving it of the nutrients it requires. Stretching aids in the reversal of the process. You’ll benefit from enhanced blood flow to your joints and throughout your body if you stretch frequently.
3. Stretching naturally enhances athletic performance
This is particularly true for athletes. The more you condition your muscles, joints, and ligaments, the better your athletic performance will be.
Bodybuilders, for example, recover from reps considerably faster when they stretch as a cool-down. Golfers can extend their reach by expanding their hips and shoulder range of motion. By stretching and honing their balance, swimmers can even out their strokes. If you’re an athlete, stretching can make a big difference in your results.
4. It’s an effective way to improve range of motion.
Whether it’s turning your head to see behind you while driving, or bending your knee freely while running, range of motion is crucial for both daily life and for fitness pursuits. Range of motion consists of how well your joints can move in all directions. This influences every movement you make! If you have a constricting condition, such as arthritis or an injury, your range of motion can be hindered.
Stretching can help reduce stiffness and increase flexibility, therefore improving your range of motion.
5. Stretching helps prevent injuries
When muscles are tight or tense, the likelihood of injury increases. This occurs because that particular part of your body isn’t working at its peak performance, even though you might be. When you stretch, you’re loosening up your muscles, in addition to increasing range of motion and improving balance, which all factor into injury prevention.
All of these characteristics can save you from making the kinds of mistakes that contribute to injury, such as landing too hard on one foot, twisting your back too far, or falling due to a loss of balance.
Let’s get to stretching; give us a call today!
As you can see, there are numerous reasons why you should consider incorporating stretching into your daily routine. Whether it’s dynamic, static, pre-activity or post-activity, one of our professional physical therapists can help you figure out the ideal stretches for your lifestyle.
In addition to the ones listed above, it has various other health benefits.
Are you ready to reap some of the stretching’s benefits? If that’s the case, give a call today!
