Editor's note: Dana Santas, known as the “Mobility Maker,” is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and mind-body coach in professional sports, and is the author of the book “Practical Solutions for Back Pain Relief ” (practical solutions for back pain relief, without edition in Portuguese).
For years, conventional wisdom in fitness culture promoted the belief that stretching to become more flexible leads to better movement and injury prevention .
But what if I told you that the road to improved mobility isn't always paved with stretching?
As a professional sports mobility coach, I've learned that the key to healthy movement encompasses a variety of factors determined by your body's specific needs. And that doesn't always include more flexibility .
The stretching misconception
Flexibility is valuable, but it is not the only consideration for optimizing joint function. Our joints lay the foundation for movement, creating the capacity for your range of motion, and your muscles support joint action. . Because functional joints require a combination of mobility and stability, muscles need to be flexible and strong to adequately support the joints.
Driven by a widespread assumption that flexibility is the ultimate measure of joint health—and because stretching tends to be enjoyable and requires relatively little effort— people often focus much more on stretching than strengthening .
Unfortunately, this unbalanced approach can lead to joint instability, chronic pain, and an increased risk of injury. And because stretching is often touted as a miracle cure for pain, I see many individuals stuck in a harmful, painful cycle in which they stretch even more to relieve the tension and pain that is unintentionally increasing with continued stretching.
How Stretching Can Increase Tension In cases where joints are unstable due to problems such as laxity, injury, hypermobility, or misalignment, the body will often compensate by tightening the surrounding muscles to provide additional stability. This compensatory mechanism, known as protective tension, acts to protect you from going into a range of motion that your joint cannot handle.
If you don't recognize when tension is protective in nature and try to relieve it by stretching, the body typically responds by increasing tension. Additionally, stretching aggressively against protective tension can further destabilize the joint and increase the risk of injury.
When stretching isn't the answer
Before using stretching as a quick fix for muscle tension, it's important to ask yourself why you feel tight in the first place so you can determine if stretching is not advisable.
Knowing the underlying cause of your discomfort will help you recognize protective tension and prioritize the most appropriate approaches, which may include strengthening and corrective exercises to increase stability and restore alignment.
When evaluating whether stretching is right for you, you should keep in mind special circumstances, such as pregnancy, where hormonal changes, including the release of relaxin, can increase joint laxity. Some prescription medications can also cause joint and muscle pain.
If you're not sure why you feel tense or if you have a condition that may make stretching inappropriate, consult your doctor or physical therapist for information about your specific situation.
The stiff tendon example
When muscles become tight, the default assumption is that they are short and tight, making stretching a logical solution. But your body is a little too complex for a simplistic approach. As an example, let's take a look at a common problem I encounter in my clients as a mobility coach: tight hamstrings. It may surprise you, but in my two decades of working in professional sports, I have found that stretching is rarely the answer to dealing with hamstring tightness in my athletes.
In most cases I have seen, athletes have tight hamstrings due to an anterior pelvic tilt, in which the pelvis is tilted forward from the neutral position. Because the hamstring muscles attach to the pelvis, when the pelvis is shifted forward, it pulls the hamstrings into a stretched, inhibited state. In this case, the hamstrings feel tight and immobile because they are long and tight rather than short and tight.
While stretching may seem like an intuitive solution to calf tightness, when these muscles are pulled long by the pelvis, trying to stretch them further can result in tears and strains in both the calf and lower back, as well as further destabilization of the pelvis. Instead of stretching, I focus on exercises that promote alignment and stability. One of these exercises is respiratory bridge .
This exercise works to restore the position of the pelvis by strengthening the core and glutes while releasing tension in the hip flexors and lower back. Although the hamstring muscles are actively working with the glutes to maintain the bridge position, the posterior pelvic tilt relieves stretching tension in the hamstring muscles.
How to do the respiratory bridge?
Follow the instructions below.
Start by lying on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor, hip-width apart, holding a foam yoga block or rolled towel between your knees.
Place your hands on your lower ribs to guide and monitor their movement in and out with each breath.
Exhale fully, pulling your lower ribs toward each other, feeling your core activate and your ribcage move downward. At the end of this exhale, without inhaling, tilt your lower back down to posteriorly tilt your pelvis and flatten your lower back while lifting your hips 3 or 4 inches off the floor.
Hold this position using the strength of your core and glutes to prevent your pelvis from tilting forward into an anteversion and your lower back from arching. Take five long, deep breaths.
Benefits of Stretching: A Stable, Balanced Approach
Stretching can be beneficial and has its place in any well-balanced fitness program that also includes strength training. As mentioned, healthy joints depend on a balance of strong and flexible muscles to create stable mobility.
Dynamic stretching, characterized by stretches held for less than 30 seconds and commonly known as mobility training, is the primary type of stretching I use in my work and recommend in warm-ups before strength training or other physical and sporting activities. O Vinyasa yoga or fluent usually consists of dynamic stretches. Static stretches held for more than 30 seconds should be reserved for cool-down or recovery days.
When leveraging stretches for specific issues, make sure there are no contraindications and maintain a balanced approach. For example, if you are feeling tension-related low back pain , a combination of stretching and strengthening will produce better results. You can opt for the breathing bridge exercise mentioned earlier, which provides a combination of strengthening and stretching benefits. Alternatively, you could alternate between exercises like child's pose to stretch your lower back muscles and forearm plank to strengthen your core muscles and increase lower back stability.
While stretching may feel good, remember that when it comes to increasing flexibility, too much of a good thing can become a bad thing. By taking the time to understand the cause of muscle tension in relation to the balance between strength and flexibility, you can avoid unnecessary pain and injuries so you can move and feel better.
Source: CNN Brasil
I am an experienced journalist and writer with a career in the news industry. My focus is on covering Top News stories for World Stock Market, where I provide comprehensive analysis and commentary on markets around the world. I have expertise in writing both long-form articles and shorter pieces that deliver timely, relevant updates to readers.
