Upgrade please!
Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that with everything. I really sometimes wish it did. I wish all you had to do was the same thing you do at the airport when you suddenly decide you need a little legroom in order for you to tolerate your seven-hour trip. You just order an upgrade, please. You lay down a few free miles you earned and there you have it. You are sitting in business class.
What if we could order upgrade on our physical health too? That would really save us some time and money. Especially when it comes to the stretching part of our exercise program. That always seems to be the part most of us conveniently forget about.
Really stretching is quite easy to do. It is just that we have to be willing to slow down enough to do it. Think of your stretching program as a way to insure that your soft tissue and your muscles stays flexible and pliable and that will help you maintain the mobility in your muscles so that you have the optimum advantage when you are chasing your kids, walking your dog, running to catch the bus or kayaking with your wife. In physical therapy we often have patients with tears and strains to soft tissue because they forget this vital part of their exercise regime and then they wonder why they tore their Achilles tendon, have rotator cuff tendonitis or can't even walk on their feet when they get up in the morning because their soft tissue is so tight.
Active stretching is really the best way to prevent injuries. Active stretching is a way to elongate the muscles and encourage full range of motion of the joints in a smooth, fluid fashion. In physical therapy we make a game out of it. For example, when it comes to putting on your shoes and socks everyday it is really important to keep your hips flexible and the surrounding muscles stretched out. So we actually have a little dance we do to keep the mobility in these areas and it keeps all of the balance receptors at the same time. We tap it out to a little beat and the dancers in my office make it look beautiful at the same time. Believe me it works. Our patients, who couldn't put their shoes on previously, now can. And they can even stand on one leg now to put on their pant leg without holding on to the counter.
Of course stretching is just one part of the three components of your exercise regime. But your stretching will ensure long-term health and wellness in all avenues of your body and if you do a little everyday it really makes a difference. So think of stretching as an upgrade, when you do it, you end up better than you were before.
Sheree DiBiase, PT, can be reached at Lake City Physical Therapy (208) 667-1988 and she and her staff will be glad to teach you how to upgrade your stretching regime.