An important part of most physical therapy treatments is stretching. This is because most of the conditions that cause pain and stiffness are connected to tightness and weakness in the muscles. With muscles like this, it can be difficult to move around and accomplish simply daily tasks without a spike of pain. By stretching every day, you can help keep this pain at bay and get back to living the life you love.
Take a moment to read about five reasons you should be stretching every day and discover the benefits of stretching:
1. Â Stretching improves your range of motion
To be able to fully extend or contract your limbs, or to bend or straighten your back, you need to have healthy muscles to power these movements. When your muscles are tight or weak, it can be difficult to make any of these movements. Stretching helps improve the elasticity and strength of your muscles, which can help restore your range of motion so you can move more freely again.
2. Â Stretching is more effective in reducing pain than you may realize
The muscles in your body are more interconnected than you may realize. If you suffer from frequent back pain, you should definitely do some back stretches to help improve the muscles in that area. However, you also need to be stretching your core muscles and leg muscles.
Stretching your core, hips, upper thighs and hamstrings can help reduce and prevent back pain because these muscles are closely connected with muscle in your lower back. Improving strength and flexibility in them helps provide better back support to reduce and prevent pain.
3. Â Stretching helps improve physical performance
In most team sports, coaches will lead athletes through stretches before and after training or competition. This is because it helps warm up the muscles for activity, so an athlete can perform better and lower their risk of injury.
Whether you’re a recreational runner, golfer, tennis player or enjoy some other type of physical activity, you need to be stretching like these other athletes to help reduce and prevent pain.
4. Â Stretching helps prevent injuries
Performing physical activities, such as sports or manual labor, without stretching can lead to injuries. Tight and cool muscles are more prone to microtears that are painful and can limit the use of the muscles. Stretching helps improve elasticity and warms up the muscles so you can perform physical activities with a lowered chance of injury.
5. Â Stretching helps with your circulation
Tight muscles affect your body’s ability to circulate oxygen and nutrients. Stretching helps reverse this process and helps to increase blood flow to your joints and other parts of your body. Plus, stretching helps reduce stress, which can also be beneficial for your heart and circulation.
Visit Whatcom Physical Therapy for assistance in treating and preventing long-lasting pain
While stretching on your own every day is a great way to stay fit and help prevent pain, it’s not always the only solution you need. Some people suffer from conditions and injuries that cause pain beyond what personal stretching can help. Does this sound like you? Our team at Whatcom can help.
Our physical therapists can work closely with you to identify the cause of your pain and come up with a personalized treatment to help reduce and prevent it. You can begin physical therapy without the need for a doctor’s referral. Would you like to learn more about treating pain or are you ready to schedule an appointment? Contact us today.
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