Corrective Exercise/Stretching
Muscle imbalances, movement compensations, and protective mechanisms occur over time from behavioral patterns (like sitting at a desk everyday for a few years), or following an injury. Corrective stretching involves specific movements targeted to lengthen shortened muscles, restore imbalances/asymmetries, improve posture, improve strength potential, and alleviate pain.
Muscle length is determined by the nervous system’s signals. When something feels like it is moving further than the body has control of, your brain’s automated response is to signal the muscle to tighten up, protecting it from further injury. To improve this your system must be reeducated to learn that the new length is safe.
Corrective stretching entails mobility drills where you control your body into the end ranges of motion, to change the nervous system’s response to being in those “dangerous” end ranges. Change happens in the nervous system with active and purposeful movements, not pulling a muscle apart and hoping it will stay there.
A Tight Muscle is a Weak Muscle
Muscles become tight or shortened for a variety of reasons. When a muscle is shortened it is no longer in its optimal length-tension relationship which reduces its potential to contract, making the muscle significantly weaker than it otherwise would be. Therefore a tight muscle is a weak muscle. This means that by correctly stretching a tight muscle the muscle immediately becomes stronger.
Muscle Releases without Stretching
If a muscle is torn or strained it is necessary to reduce resting tension so that the muscle can effectively heal. If you attempt to stretch it you will cause increased trauma or tearing to the muscle- think of pulling on a partially torn rubber band (it tears more).
With properly positioning and deliberate movements designed to activate the targeted muscle, your body will naturally inhibit tension in the opposing muscle group. This is known as reciprocal inhibition. You are taught to activate the muscle group that does the opposite action of the muscle that is injured, so that it can learn to stop being overactive and finally lengthen.
Active vs Passive Stretching
It is all too common that people think they will become more flexible by stretching as hard as they can, to the point of pain! Stretching should feel good, if it is painful then you are doing it wrong. If you pull on a muscle to the point of pain you are quite literally tearing the fibers from one another and creating an inflammatory protective response, which tightens the muscle further.
Passive stretching can be okay if not performed as intensely as described above, but active stretching is more effective in restoring length to a shortened muscle group. Passive stretching means you’re holding a certain pose with tension on a particular muscle or muscle group. Active stretching is all of this, plus reciprocal contraction and relaxation of the muscle being stretched.
Active stretching can involve movement or be isometric, but active stretching helps reeducate the muscle and nervous system to relearn that it is safe for the body to move into a new range. Without this reeducation stage, the body often tightens up instead of releases, or you will lack control/stability in your new range of motion which actually increases your risk for injury.
Yoga & Pilates Integration
Techniques from various forms of yoga and pilates are integrated into your treatment strategy to target specific tight or weak muscles. There are thousands of poses and movement flows that help your body relearn difficult movements and restore uptight posture. We also have multiple pilates cadillac and reformers that are beneficial for improving mobility, stability, and strengthening.