Stretching

What is Stretching?

Stretching is a form of physical exercise. Maintaining same body posture or starting exercise regime after a long time can cause muscle stiffening or can hamper muscles. Stretching regularly helps prevent this situation.

Here’s some more detail. Firstly, sitting in the same position for a long duration or in a particular way which obstructs blood flow, can give you pain or stiffness. Secondly, if you start exercising for the first time, your body muscles are not too flexible initially so there are chances of muscle tear or injury. To avoid this, we prepare our body to be more flexible by light stretching. We stretch that particular body part to retain the flow of blood. This relieves you from pain and stiffness and also prevents chronic body pains. Stretching also enhances the flexibility of the muscles and body in return.

Types of stretching  

• Active stretching

• Dynamic stretching

• Static stretching

• Passive stretching

• Isometric stretching

• PNF stretching (Unders the guidance of a Physiotherapist)

• Ballistic stretching (it is very advanced level of stretching and needs supervision and guidance)

Benefits of stretching

• Improve your performance in physical activities

• Decrease your risk of injuries

• Help your joints move through their full range of motion

• Enable your muscles to work most effectively

Stretching Essentials

• Do not consider stretching a warm up. Warm up with walking, jogging or biking

• Stretching cold muscles is not suggested, hence warm up before stretching is must

• Focus on major muscle groups

• Don’t bounce

• Hold your stretch

• Don’t aim for pain

• Make stretches sport specific

• Bring movement into your stretching

• Refer to a physiotherapist while stretching for muscle pain