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The Truth about Flexibility, Part 4

Last updated on July 19, 2016 By Dan Baumstark, MSPT, CHT Leave a Comment

stretching exercise
My initial instruction to patients that I see with this “over-stretched” phenomena is simple: Stop stretching. In most cases, a cessation of stretching will greatly reduce their lower back pain within a few weeks.

Most people when confronted with this information inevitably begin to question the merits of stretching as a means of improving their health. Have we been lied to by the countless trainers, therapists, instructors, and media about the virtues of stretching? There is, after all, widespread clinical data that supports the positive effects of stretching. In my clinical setting I, admittedly, stretch people every day.

How do we know what in fact is the appropriate amount to stretch?

The key to answering this question lies in the knowledge of normal muscle and joint ranges. If you have excessive range in a certain position, there is no inherent benefit in continuing to stretch into that position. An exception to this rule would involve people that need excessive range of motion for some job or activity. Dancers, acrobats, and other professional athletes may require considerably more than the normal range of flexibility to perform selected activities.

On the other end of the spectrum are individuals who lack normal muscle flexibility. I routinely see people who could not lean forward to touch their toes if their lives depended on it, myself included. This is the population that would in fact benefit from a bit of muscle stretching. I have treated many of these “stiff” patients who have, in fact, benefited from joining a yoga class. It may even be possible that a tight muscle group may be contributing to an imbalance in your body that is causing pain.

The overall message here should be quite clear: it is a good idea to gently stretch muscle groups that lack normative range, and it is a bad idea to stretch muscles that already have more than normal range. If you have muscles that meet the normal ranges, then stretching needs only to be used as a “warm-up”, or for the purpose of maintenance. Your goal should not be to surpass normal ranges of muscle flexibility.

Muscles that are too long actually need to be re-trained to work in a more normal range. This is why it is key to be able to readily identify exactly which muscle groups in your body are in need of stretching, and which muscle groups are in need of re-training.

Filed Under: Featured, Orthopedic Injury



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About Dan Baumstark, MSPT, CHT

Dan is a licensed Physical Therapist in the District of Columbia, license #PT2916. He has a Masters of Science degree in Physical Therapy from Washington University in St. Louis, MO. Dan specializes in sports medicine & upper extremity rehabilitation. He is a Certified Hand Therapist, certified by the American Society of Hand Therapists (initial certification date 11/6/2004, certification #1041100023). Dan has extensive continuing education in manual therapy from the Michigan State University School of Osteopathic Medicine.
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DISCLAIMER: The information on this site is for Educational Purposes Only and is not designed to diagnose, treat, mitigate, prevent or cure any health conditions. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated statements about these health topics or any suggested product compositions. Answers to questions submitted are merely the opinion of the physical therapist and should not be taken as a prescribed course of action. Any advice given by the therapist must be cleared with the treating physician involved in direct patient care. The person posing the question absolves the responder of any liability in regards to opinions given. PhysioDC insists that all patients receive approval from a prescribing physician prior to starting a structured exercise program involving any of the exercises included on this site. PhysioDC.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com; proceeds from product sales help cover the operational & maintenance costs for the site.