Stretch Therapy
How many times have you heard “you should stretch more?” In many cases, movement in general will help to lubricate your joints, increase your energy, decrease stress, and train your brain to recognize when your body feels limited. In other cases, “stretching” can feel painful, induce cramping, and other non-ideal feelings. In short, stretching may not always be the answer. What can you do when you experience the latter. In this article, I will introduce some stretching concepts, terms, and how to view stretching as a therapy.
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When the fibers of a muscle lengthen or expand; the muscular attachments move away from each other
i.e. when I flex/bend my elbow, my tricep lengthens, the olecranon process moves away from the posterior surface of the humerus.
I may even say that palpating a stretch feels “lean,” in comparison to the “bulking” sensations of a contraction.
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When the fibers of a muscle compress, shorten, & perform their intended action
i.e. when I extend/straighten my elbow, my tricep contracts, shortens, and “feels bulky.”
When intending to find a stretch, a contraction sensation will feel uncomfortable, often appearing as a “pinch” or a “cramp”
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A stretch appears during a movement, when one joint is stabilized, and another joint is moved away from it. You can intensify the stretch sensation by adding joints further down the chain.
To find a hip stretch I must first move my hip. To intensify the stretch, I can add a knee movement, then an ankle movement, then a toe movement.
If I start moving my toes, before moving my hip, any tension in the muscles of the lower leg will appear before or completely mask the hip stretch.
When the movement stops & the muscles relax, the stretch sensation will lessen.
Try this neck stretch:
Keep your nose facing forward & bring your ear to your shoulder. Notice how it feels. At what point to you feel tension? Where you feel it?
Begin again, this time start by depressing your shoulder, bend your elbow and press it toward your hip, without side bending. Now repeat step 1, moving your neck. How is this different?
Now that you can identify a neck stretch can be performed by moving both the head & the shoulder, add & subtract those actions from the position you feel your initial stretch;
i.e. move your head to the position you felt in step 1, then depress the shoulder. Move your shoulder, then move your head. Experiment with 1 second stretches.
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A stretch appears in the muscle belly, that is between joints, not at a joint.
Sensations that appear at a joint may be tendon / ligament sensations, which are inelastic & meant for stability. Try to modify your movement to feel the sensation between joints.
Stretches appear on the opposite side of the intended movement
When I extend/straighten my knee, I expect to feel the sensation on the back of my thigh.
When I bring my leg over the midline, I am looking for stretching on the outside of the hip & thigh, not in the groin; any pinching or discomfort in the groin with this movement is likely a compression sensation, NOT a stretch.
Try this knee / hamstring stretch:
Lay on your back. Bend one knee & place the sole of the foot on the ground. Pull your toes to your shin & begin to lift your leg, knee straight. What do you feel happen? Where is the sensation?
Repeat this, differently.
Start with a bent knee, supported on a chair or and ottoman. Keep the knee where it is. Do not move it. Instead, begin to kick, extending your knee, moving your shin, while pointing the toes to the ceiling. Once your knee extends to its maximum, then bring the toes toward your shin. How does stating with a bent knee change the experience? How does the ankle action add / subtract from your experience?
If you want to add something new, keep everything the same & begin to draw the leg towards you midline. Do you feel the sensation move towards the outside of the leg & hip?
Stretching as a therapy, is best performed frequently, and consistently, the same as if you are going to a Physical Therapist or a Chiropractor, especially if you’re interested in stretching is to effect a specific symptom or condition. As with almost all therapies, consistency is key.
How do I perform Stretch Therapy? Assess. Apply Therapy. Reassess. Repeat. The best part about this kind of therapy is you can perform it on yourself!
First, perform the action of your intended stretch. Do you feel the expected sensation, in the expected area? If yes, great!
If you answered no, begin again. Modify your movements to find the stretch sensation in the correct place. If you are experiencing cramping or compression sensations, perform first techniques that relieve the cramp/compression (i.e. foam roll or self massage), then retest your stretch. (Treating Cramps)
Often, when clients come to me for “stretching,” I seamlessly switch between stretching & compression techniques, retesting the actions after each. It is important to feel the expected sensation, in the correct place. I may perform this compression / stretch cycle numerous times before I achieve the result I am looking for.
Stretching for one hour, one time, will not make you flexible or relieve chronic pain. Incorporating multiple, second-long stretches, into your daily routine will show benefits over time. Wellness is a habit.
Stretching consistently for one year does not mean that you can take one year off & retain your progress. If you spend one-hundred sixty hours sitting behind a work desk in a month, compared to minutes stretching, you will not see the results you are expecting. Stretching is a long-term process, where benefits stack over time.
