Damian Lewis playing Axe on Billions being stretched. A patient asked me about assisted stretching applied by a professional at one of the new assisted stretching companies. Several franchises and boutiques are now offering this service. She said she felt good after the session. I explained that there is normally no harm done by having someone stretch you like this. It is helpful to understand the true value of stretching, what it does, and how it helps. This type of stretching had been done for years with track and field athletes, although was mostly abandoned in favor of more effective methods of improving flexibility and power. Many of the common Yoga poses are one size fits all stretches as are the protocols in assisted stretching studios. Stretching Studios received international attention when it was featured on the Showtimes series Billions which had two of the lead characters being stretched at their offices. Many fads come and go. Is active stretching another fad or is it here to stay? Find out more about the Showtime series Billions What is the overall effect of stretching? It depends on the tissues involved. Stretching feels good because it enhances movement. General stretching as per some of my studies cited in previous blogs suggests the benefit of doing it is about an hour. For years, runners would stretch before going out on the road with the belief it reduced injuries. When science caught up to the practice of stretching, it was found that active exercise was a better warm up which strengthened before activity and improved athletic performance when compared to stretching itself. The book by Gajda and Domingues, Total Body Training which is no longer in print pioneered the idea that is now the norm. Read more about when science catches up to the dogma of stretching. Myers, who wrote Anatomy Trains dissected the fascia and found out that for at least a century, other scientists questioned the idea that muscles controlled movement, and as the world listened to Myers, the model of how we moved changed markedly. The only practical way of stretching fascia was actually by releasing it either manually or with a foam roller generally. Fascia under normal circumstances does not stretch unless heated to 103 degrees Fahrenheit. It is now understood that fascia controls motion and adapts depending on how we stress those tissues. It also has its own blood supply and circulatory system. Joint Capsules do stretch but over a long period. All tissues evolve depending on the loads we place upon them. Fascia forms and controls movement due to loading as well as joint capsules. A tightened hip or shoulder capsule can require weeks or months of continued stretching with daily sessions of 2-3 minutes to improve how the joint moves. We teach our patients how to perform both foam rolling and joint capsule stretches according to their individual needs which over time improves flexibility and long-term overall joint health. It also helps reprogram the musculoskeletal system and neurology using neuroplasticity to work more efficiently and effectively. There are maneuvers such as the typical hurdler stretch that effectively improve movement and help improve ligament flexibility which is important for joint health. This is a very different idea than overall one-size-fits-all stretching which feels good as stretching causes an anesthetic effect but usually, after that effect wears off, the tightness returns. While it is true that many animals stretch for flexibility, it is also true that the effect is more temporary. This is very true of many Yoga moves which is not done regularly result in you feeling better as you are able to move better, but a few days later the effect has worn off and your inflexibility has likely returned. How can our chiropractic office help you improve your flexibility and mechanical fitness without all that work? Our office specializes in holistic evaluation and treatment and uses exercises, specialized stretching methods, and myofascial release to improve how you move and function. Patients who were always tight because of how they have adapted to their body style and growth spurts may never touch their toes, but with our help often find their enhanced flexibility and improvement in how they feel lasts. They are given the tools to effectively self-manage and understand when they need to return to our office for a follow-up. Our job is to help you help yourself with the best scientifically valid methods available today. This reduces the need for constant care, massages, and injuries that are preventable when you function better. Function begins from the ground up. Our goal for any patient is to help them help themselves through knowledge, understanding, and better movement. The benefits are less pain and stiffness, fewer injuries, and a reduced likelihood of having back pain, sciatic pain, disc problems, shoulder problems, knee pain, and foot pain caused by the impact of poor body mechanics. If you have these problems corrected while you are younger, your aging body will appreciate it and you are less likely to have many of the problems we see in seniors because they just had no idea. Long-term effects of medication for pain are chronic problems, damaged joints, limps, and other manifestations that are often preventable. We do inherit many of our traits from our patients. As talked about in my book Cheating Mother Nature, what you need to know to beat chronic pain, we look like our parents and walk like them too. This also means that if they have back, neck, shoulder, and knee problems unless you decide to do something different, their structure will behave as theirs did, and doing things differently can preserve your hips, knees, and other joints. You can purchase Cheating Mother Nature using this link. Stretching, chiropractic, or both? As earlier stated, assisted stretching can feel good but the effect is temporary as it assumes that all tissues stretch and act the same. Yoga in many ways is unassisted but in classes assumes the same idea. These methods feel good but have shorter-term effects. Seeing the right chiropractor through the use of manipulation, myofascial release, and exercises can change how you feel and function, especially if you begin when you are a teenager or a young adult. We do help older people too and many are surprised at how they feel and function however, any joint degeneration that has happened already limits our results. We work with people who have had hip or knee replacements and they too see the benefits of moving better. Are you wondering how you can improve your posture and feel and function better? Move better with chiropractic care. Call us today.