Stretching could be making your back worse!
Oct 26, 2022
Movement is good for our body and we have been constantly told that flexibility is good...but is it?
Firstly we need to understand that there is a huge difference between being flexible for flexibility's sake and being flexible for our functionality. We can often be encouraged by professionals that we need to be flexible. Well, in most circumstances, we don't. We need to be functional for the activities we do or the activities we want to do. This is why if we focus on being more flexible than we need to be, we often over stretch.
Over stretching (stretching too hard or too often) usually causes our body to instinctively react and protect itself. This can lead to a cascade of effects resulting in back pain:
- Muscles become tighter, more 'overprotective' and less responsive.
- When muscles become less responsive, joints can become more vulnerable to injury because the muscles are not stabilising the joints as well as they should.
- Joint range of motion reduces due to increased muscle tension.
- This puts more strain on ligaments that support the joints, making them more vulnerable to irritation and injury.
- With regard to the back, this can put strain on intervertebral discs making them more vulnerable to injury, bulging and prolapse.
This on-going flow of effects can become cyclical and therefore chronic.
So, stretching (using the traditional meaning), may be an enemy to helping overcome back pain. Please note, I'm not suggesting that you should remain sedentary or not 'lengthen' muscles, but in my view, unless you specifically want to be a dancer, gymnast, or require increased flexibility for your activities or work, all we need to focus on is resetting muscles, not over stretching.
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Your Ultimate Self
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