Heed the Warning: Chronic stretching part 1
Stretching might be one of the most oversimplified and therefore misused forms of self-care. It amazes me how often people are advised to spend 10-30 seconds stretching in order to “fix” muscles that feel tight.
The classic misapplication of stretching as a “fix” for tight muscles is crossing one leg behind the other and bending away from this side, producing a stretch in the hip and/or side of the thigh. This is the most common stretch for a tight IT-Band (iliotibial band), which is a tendon of the Tensor Fascia Lata (TFL) muscle. And, to be fair, it works. The muscle relaxes and is no longer tight… at least for a while. Because of this, people religiously stretch and foam-roll their IT-Band, day in and day out, never addressing the root cause of this muscle tension… never heeding the warning sign of bigger problems to come.
There are a number of reasons a muscle can feel tight. One reason a muscle may feel tight is because it is being held in a lengthened position. In this case, the muscle is tight in the same way a rubber band is when you pull on it - but more on that in a future post. Another reason you may sense tension in a muscle is because it is shortened. At risk of oversimplification, we’re going to break shortened muscles that feel tight into two categories: adaptively shortened and neurologically shortened. Tune in next week to learn more or, give us a call. We would be happy to help you heed the warning signs and address the root cause of your discomfort, rather than kicking the proverbial can down the road and paying for it later.
P.S. If it feels like the muscles in your upper back and shoulder region are tight, which often occurs with pain between your shoulder blade(s) and spine and/or where your shoulder and neck come together, look for one of our upcoming blogs to learn more.
