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Friday, July 30, 2010

Stretching: Video demonstrating 7 Generalizations








• Hold each stretch for 30(minimum) to 60 seconds, and repeat twice.



• Alternate between sides while stretching (for example, right achilles with knee straight, then left achilles, then right, then left).



• Do not bounce while stretching, hold steady.



• Deep breathe to get oxygen into the muscles while stretching. Normally 5 deep breathes equals 30 seconds.



• Stretching before exercise should be done after a light warm up, like walking or stationary bike or jog. Julie Cox, PT, recommends pre-activity stretching to be slightly less time (20 to 30 seconds) followed by gentle rythmical motion to warm up the muscle group involved for another 30 seconds. For Example, achilles stretching pre-workout could be followed by a gentle rythmical motion for 30 seconds (back and forth) between raising the heel up off the ground and then lowering the heel back down.



• Stretching hard when the muscles are cold (based on weather or time of day) can injure the muscle and gives pre-workout stretching a bad name.



• Stretching after a work out is the most important time to gain flexibility since the muscles are heated up.• Stretching before a work out is crucial to preventing many injuries due to tightness, like achilles strain or hamstring pulls.



• If one side of your body is tighter, do twice as many stretches on that side versus the looser side.



• If you want to gain flexibility, stretch the desired muscle group three times per day, whether you work out or not.



• If you want to maintain flexibility, average one time per day stretching the desired muscle group.



• Never stretch through pain, it only makes the muscle tighter afterwards.



• Make sure when stretching that your body is stable (not likely to fall over, etc)



• Most muscle/tendons can be stretched for better results in various positions. For example, when stretching the hamstring, you need to stretch both the upper and lower parts. And especially for the lower hamstring, you can stretch various parts by positioning your foot straight, externally rotated, and then internally rotated. You will feel the pull on the hamstring at different parts.



• With many muscle/tendon injuries, if you can find a way to stretch it which relaxes the sore area, you are going to heal much faster. As long as you can stretch without making it painful, you can stretch an injured muscle/tendon 5 to 10 times daily.

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Thank you very much for leaving a comment. Due to my time restraints, some comments may not be answered.I will answer questions that I feel will help the community as a whole.. I can only answer medical questions in a general form. No specific answers can be given. Please consult a podiatrist, therapist, orthopedist, or sports medicine physician in your area for specific questions.