Stretching ..... The silent solution

How many times have you been told to stretch and you take about 2 minutes to stretch the entire body and you head on out to recreational sporting or begin your workout at the gym?  It becomes apparent in our lifestyles to dismiss what may seem very passive and "useless", especially as our time becomes more filled with work, driving, eating, recreation activity, and social obligations.  So this entry is to hopefully enlighten you or hopefully confirm your suspicions as to why stretching is SOOOOOOOO important in your daily routine.

So first I ask,

• Has anyone really explained the importance of stretching?  
• How much do you think you should stretch?
• Do you think the positions you stay in all day (for work or recreation) shape your body?

Here is a common scenario I hear.   I often ask, "Do you stretch?"  The response I often hear from my patients and friends is, "Of course I stretch!!"  And then I follow up with asking,  "...so how often are you doing it?"  And then I get one of two responses: A) "I stretch every time I go to the gym (or play said sport), or B) "3 times a week for X minutes."

Let me try to explain the damage a dysfunctional and abnormal muscle can do to your body..........

They can first of all, the more obvious problem, cause pain within the muscle itself or the attached joint;  They can pinch on superficial or deeper nerves in the body causing pain; They can be too short and can cause the antagonist (opposite sided) muscle to be weak and throw off the length-tension relationship; They can affect more distal, or farther away, joints by pulling on the entire body causing poorer body mechanics and increase stress across joints.

Now I'm a very analytical and more mathematical and statistical type of guy so I'm going to try to explain the importance in that manner.  Let's say for example that you work at a desk for 6-8 hours a day and you have been at this job for 5 years.  That's 7800-10400 hours in a sitting posture/position that you're body is not really meant to be in.  In order to counter balance that, let's say you need minimally 1% of that time to open up, which equates to 780-1040 hours across 5 years to just keep your body sane.  That's a lot of time!!!  But also much needed to keep your body in alignment without causing more stress.

So now the commonly asked question,  "How long should I stretch for?", and "How much should I stretch?"

Studies published have shown to prove that a minimum of 30 seconds at a sustained intensity is needed to show a physiological change in the muscular-tendinous junction.  That means no bouncing up and down and pushing your way farther in to the stretch, unless told to do so.  So that is the recommendation and I'm sticking to it. 

As far as how much stretching, it may vary.  But ideally I recommend the ratio of 1 minute per hour of your time (for those more sedentary jobs).  So that would mean a total of 8 minutes in your work day to stretch, whether it is once an hour, once every 2 hours for 2 minutes, or once you get in the office and after lunch for 4 minutes.  I will say, the most success I have with people is when they do it more frequently through their entire day (8-10 times in a day for 2-3 minutes at a time).  Now that being said, I usually recommend specific stretches, maybe 2-3 total to be done, so it shouldn't take a lot of time.  

Another way I like to describe why the frequency of stretching is so important is with a rubber band.  If you stretch a rubber band out quickly, it is more likely to snap back and rebound.  If you give it a slow gradual stretch over a longer period of time, you can change the elasticity and tension of the rubber band without even really noticing a difference.  This is the same with muscles, you want to stretch it frequently so that you don't notice a back-lash from stretching at a high intensity and infrequently. 

Which brings me to the last component with stretching......... The Intensity!!  When stretching, you should feel a minimum to moderate/medium stretch in the muscle to achieve the best results.  Again, not stretching does zero good, but stretching too much will make the muscles rebound and they will hate you for it.

So the key points to stretching are: 

• minimum of 30 seconds at a sustained intensity
• the frequency in a day should be at a ratio of 1 minute per hour of your time (for those more sedentary jobs), or a blanket statement of 8-10 times in a day
• the intensity you should feel should be a minimum to moderate/medium stretch in the muscle

I hope this enlightens you and please feel free to comment and write back.  Take care and keep stretching!!!! ;)

Dr. J Wong