Stretching to Improve Body Function

Many likely took at least one dance/tumbling/exercise class or played a sport as kids. It was an opportunity to move our bodies in early life. Most of us may not recall having chronic pain and stiffness as children. Did you try to do the splits to see how far you could get? The human body is designed to move, stretch, and grow. In much later years, each of us has the potential to shrink in height as we lose bone density and muscle mass. Even if some of us are in our 60s, 70s, or even 90s-100s, I believe it's not too late to hit pause on the aging effects of shrinking and bone/muscle loss.

Have you ever been injured and instantly unable to move a specific part of your body? After a sledding accident in 2022, I couldn’t move my torso without intense pain. At my first physical therapy appointment, the doctor determined my Range of Motion (ROM) by measuring how far I could move my limbs or twist in any direction or pattern. I felt humbled and discouraged to realize how limited my range of motion suddenly became.

The physical therapy clinic I attended had treadmills, rowing machines, bicycles, hand/arm -cycles, balance balls, balance boards, resistance bands, balance barres, weights, and more. The doctors and their assistants set timers to alert them when each patient finished with assigned exercises. Often, there would be 7 - 8 patients in the clinic at a time. It was not relaxing, and I did not feel calm or comfortable. I wouldn't say I liked physical therapy. It's not that I was ungrateful for the time and attention given to my injury rehabilitation. I just felt stressed out every time I went to experience ‘therapy,’ and I would leave feeling agitated and defeated.

At therapy, a helpful fact I learned about myself was that my brain was not connecting to my hips or my knees, so my walk needed to be corrected. I also had to change how I sat up from my bed, stood up from the couch, or got in/out of my car. I learned that my brain wanted to help my body, but I wasn’t allowing that relationship because I was over-compensating and moving gingerly to avoid hurting myself again. Instead of healing and strengthening, I was only avoiding further injury. And I wasn’t doing a very good job of it because, for the next year and a half, I kept injuring myself.

After six weeks of demonstrating exercises I had practiced at home, I stopped scheduling physical therapy appointments. The environment was not conducive to my healing. I knew I could improve by working on my mobility issues by myself. I don't suggest anyone else follow my example unless you tried physical therapy and discovered that you could have better results. But you know your body best! [If you are pursuing a holistic lifestyle, you may already be tapping into your mind + body + spirit connection and becoming very familiar with changes and efforts you need to make to reach your best health.]

Besides attending physical therapy, how else can we improve our range of motion?

Stretching lengthens muscles, which can help your joints enjoy a full and proper range of motion. You will enjoy better balance, posture, and mobility with increased flexibility. The usual tasks of your daily life will become easier.

Every day, we can try to bend, extend (straighten), rotate (move a joint in a circle pattern). We can also work on abduction (moving arms/legs away from the body’s midline) and adduction (moving arms/legs toward the body’s midline). We don't necessarily need a gym membership or personal trainer to practice moving our bodies as designed.

Stretching is marvelous for your mind and body. Everyone, absolutely everyone, should stretch! Please give yourself enough time to stretch before and after exercise and sports. Plan that time into your day's events. It's so essential to stretch to protect your joints and muscles from injury.

If you work sitting or standing all day, you are likely pretty stressed by the end of your shift. You can release stress and tension when you stretch. What else can you improve with your stretching practice? It helps oxygen circulate around and through your body, bringing fresh energy to your day. A feeling of anxiety or panic can be eased with stretching. You can see less personal suffering from back pain, neck stiffness, shoulder and headaches. [Please get a medical professional's clearance before stretching if you have a chronic bad back or other mobility issues and conditions.]

You can also use stretching as your wake-up routine each morning or refresh yourself when feeling tired any time of day.

You can stretch your entire body in this order or work areas that need the most help if you're short on time: calves, quadriceps and knees, groin, hamstrings, upper hamstrings and hips, arches of feet, arms, back, and spine.

You could do a quick web search for how many counts (between 10 and 30 counts) and how long to hold per area. If you have not been stretching your body for days, weeks, months, or years, you should start small and work into longer holds (more counts). Never over-extend or push yourself too far. Go at your own pace. Always remember to breathe through the stretch.

You may enjoy stretching so much that you want to register for a yoga or Pilates class or a sport or dance class. Why not let stretching be the catalyst for significant changes in your life? If you make stretching a regular daily habit, I would love for you to consider returning to this page and leave a comment to let us know how your life improved. Perhaps we can inspire others to avoid years of unnecessary pain and suffering together. I'm cheering you on!

By, Kaari Branham