Learn more. Stretching is a fundamental aspect of fitness and wellness, crucial for maintaining flexibility, preventing injuries, and enhancing overall physical performance. In terms of massage therapy stretching can be used within your treatment or recomened for home care. This section will cover the importance of stretching and introduce the different types of stretching: static, dynamic, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation PNF , and ballistic.
Regular stretching offers a myriad of benefits beyond simple flexibility. Streching feels good, warms up the tissue, helps you with propreoception, makes movement easier and helps lubricate your joints. While we do not recommend stretching as a stand alone activity for treatment, you would be hard pressed to find any physical activity that does not include some element of stretching.
Understanding the benefits can motivate individuals to incorporate stretching into their daily routines. Static stretching involves holding a stretch for a prolonged period. This section will guide you through the proper techniques for static stretching, emphasizing safety and effectiveness to achieve the best results.
Our massage therapists assign these frequently as home care and use them in treatment as they feel great. To perfom a static stretch, you move your body part into the stretched positon and hold. Once in position, you do not move, but breathing is recommended.
Slow steady breathing can help you get deeper into the stretch and fully explore the position. These stretches should be held for 30 seconds or more, or until you feel the muscle relax. Dynamic stretches are active movements that help warm up the body before exercise. Learn how to implement dynamic stretching in your routine and understand the advantages of dynamic over static stretching for warm-up purposes.
