Me: "Do you
stretch?" Patient: "Not as much as I should." Most people know
they should stretch. They know they feel better when they do stretch, but they
still don't. Why don't people stretch?
They're stretching
the wrong areas and not seeing the benefits that they should.
Some things to
consider; you may not be stretching long enough, at the right time, or the
right areas.
How long should you
stretch?
Most people don't
stretch nearly long enough. When it is time to stretch (more on that in a
minute), you need to hold your stretches for at least 30 seconds, 60
seconds if you're over 40 years old. It takes that long for you to see any real
change. Stretching shorter than that means you just did a little warm up, you
won't see any lasting changes to your flexibility.
When should you
stretch?
The time of day and
what you're doing makes a big difference in the type of stretching and how long
you should stretch. Before you workout, it's really best to do very short
stretches. Literally 3 - 5 second stretches to actively warm up your muscles.
Since muscles,
ligaments, and tendons warm up at different rates, it doesn't do you much good
and could actually lead to an injury. Pre-workout, you should do a lighter
version of whatever you're about to do. Playing basketball, do some light
dribbling and shooting. Getting ready to go for a run, do a light jog until you
feel like you are loosened up.
For this reason, I
have to believe that stretching at the end of your day would be more effective
in improving flexibility than rolling out of bed and doing a big stretching
routine. If you do have to knock it out in the morning, try to walk around a
bit first or jog in place. Do something to get the blood moving before you
start stretching.
What areas should
you stretch?
This is a tough one
to answer because it really depends on what you do all day. Your daily
activities will determine your posture, your weak areas, your tight areas, and
what you should do about them. Since most of our patients are sitting at a
computer all day, I'll focus on that.
Generally speaking,
you don't need to stretch the back of your neck or your lower back. The only
areas on the back of your body that you will need to stretch are your
hamstrings and your hip rotators. Most areas of your body that are tight are on
the front of your body.
You'll want to
stretch your quadriceps, your hip flexors, and the front of your neck.
What's traction?
I include talks
about traction because this is almost always the very next question patients
ask, "how do you feel about those things where you hang upside down?"
Inversion tables are available at a lot of stores. You can spend a little or a
lot, depending on what you're looking for.
The more expensive
ones tend to give you a lot of angles you can hang upside-down from, and they
have an easy "turn right side up" button. Cheaper models will require
a bit of core strength to return to an upright position.
I do like the idea
of an inversion table, but I don't enjoy them myself. Hanging upside-down is
not fun for me, nor is it for everyone. I would recommend visiting a store like
Relax The Back. They've got a lot of them and you can try them out yourself.
We do lose a lot of
disc and joint space during the day due to gravity, so inversion tables make
sense. They're not a replacement for a chiropractic adjustment or stretching
but they can be very helpful for a lot of people. Be sure to ask your
chiropractor first if you should buy one. They'll know more about your case and
can give you specific advice.
