Stretching is the most common solution resorted to when we feel a muscle spasm or joint pain. Stretching is the first psychological reaction to tightness or stiffness in muscles. We try to stretch in a quest to release unwanted fatigue, heaviness and tightness.
The muscles contraction and relaxation facilitate the pump of blood into the muscle and also release of toxins.
This helps in regaining flexibility and movement. Gentle massage fastens the recovery process. Hot and cold compresses are generally recommended along with stretching exercises.
There are limitations associated with these stretching exercises as well. Not always it’s a good idea to stretch. Sometimes, stretching in a wrong way can be detrimental for the muscles. Stretching exercises can also lead to further damage if extra pressure is exerted onto the injured muscle.
Stretching Only Puts You In A Good Posture
The main aim of stretching is that it puts you in certain postures. It trains your central nervous system to adopt these postures and improve your flexibility.
What Stretching Is Actually Do And What We Expect Out Of It?
Stretching exercises are for getting back a tightened muscle to a normal working condition. The muscles usually contract and lock due to certain reasons. These may include bad postures, slouching, too much exercise, stress etc. these factors lead to over utilization of muscles. This usually results in formation of lactic acids, causing pain and restriction in movements.
When most people heat that stretching helps in treating muscle spasms, they often overdo the stretch in order to get instant relief. But this situation often proves to worsening their condition.
This is because a damaged muscle needs to be handled carefully. A stretch and hold technique should be used. Stretching too much will enhance the pain and pressure on an already taut muscle.
When To Stretch And When Not To?
If you have a back pain or a neck pain, for instance, you need to look for certain signs and symptoms that indicate the cause of the pain. A stiff neck can mean that you had a bad sleep the previous night or a slouching habit can also be the cause.
Such signs may lead you to the solution to get relief from your pain.
Most common mistakes that people don’t realise are certain exercises which are performed pertaining to specific conditions. For example incase of intervertebral discs, stretching is never recommended. Certain hamstring exercises tend to aggravate the damage in the spine.
A more procedural approach would be to consult a doctor. A physician or a chiropractor would be the best person to consult for your muscle and joint pains. These are the people who can guide through the type of stretching exercise that would help rather than inflict damage to your body.
