If you are someone that considers yourself an active person, you’ll know firsthand how dreadful the idea of getting an injury is. Not only is it potentially painful, but it can sometimes take days to weeks, months, maybe even years to recover from them.
That’s an unspecified amount of time when you may not be able to exercise, which can put a halt to any plans that you have.
Not only that, but if you do not give it the correct amount of time or care to heal right, then you may find that your body never fully recovers in the right way, hampering your ability to move or otherwise exercise.
Even assuming that you have done everything right to help the healing process of your body, with some injuries, there is simply no guarantee that your body is going to bounce back fully from whatever happened to it.
Because of this, most people tend to agree that the best way to avoid injury is to try and prevent it from happening in the first place.
This has to lead to an entire industry of people and businesses that are tailored to prevent you from suffering injuries with whatever physical activity you are doing, from CrossFit to Karate.
These can range from tailored products to techniques that you can carry out before or after you start your activity.
However, one method of injury prevention that has always been and continues to be popular, is the humble stretches.
Many people swear by their ability to prep your muscles for a hard workout, as well as how they can help you in several other ways that benefit your general fitness.
In this article, we are going to answer whether or not stretching is a legitimate way of preventing injuries from happening. We’re also going to cover some of the other benefits that stretching has, and how they relate to preventing injuries.
Does Stretching Help Prevent Injuries?
Before anything else, we should probably answer the main question that you clicked on in this article: Does stretching help reduce the likelihood or prevent injuries from happening?
Well, the simple answer to this question is: Yes it does!
Adding stretching to your routine before and after physical taxing activities is a great way to increase your general flexibility.
Lack of a good range of motion, as well as general immobility, can have serious consequences if left unchecked, resulting in long-term injuries that can be difficult to recover from.
By the same token, keeping up a wide range of flexibility and motion with stretches help protect the body from otherwise avoidable damage.
Flexibility Exercises You Can Do
So, with the question answered on whether or not stretching can help prevent injury, we can now move on to the next question that people may have: What are some of the best stretches to help encourage flexibility?
The best exercises to help with your flexibility are known as Active and Isolated Flexibility exercises and are some of the best ways that you can practice and improve your elasticity.
In these exercises, the person performing them moves the joint and muscle gently to the point of tension, the point at which the person will start to feel the full effects of the stretch.
Once this point is met, the tension is then released. This process is then repeated for 10 reps before the person has finished a full flexibility active and isolated stretching exercise.
This exercise should be done before an exercise takes place, to make sure that the joint and muscles are appropriately limbered up the right amount, as well as to help improve circulation around the body.
It is only a small addition to your usual workout routine, but it can make a world of difference over time, especially when it comes to avoiding injuries.
Benefits Of Stretching Before/During/After Exercise
We have already discussed some of the benefits that regularly stretching has in preventing injuries. But there is a whole range of other positives that come with adding this to your daily routine, whether that is before or after an exercise session.
Improved Posture
This is especially the case if you are exercising the areas around your lower back, your shoulders, or your chest during your workout or activity. Doing routine stretches before and after will help your back align better, and improve your posture in general.
Helps Prevent And Relieve Post-Exercise Aches And Pains
We have probably all felt the pain and aching sensation that you feel after a particularly tough workout. It hurts to move them even a little, and it can make you think twice about exercising again, which is a nightmare if you do so regularly.
Doing stretches both at the beginning of your workout, as well as at the end, help gives your muscles the chance to slowly lessen that tightening and shortening effect that causes those feelings in your muscles in the first place.
Great For Managing Stress
Muscles, especially if they aren’t worked regularly, can become knotted and store up to much stress in your body, which can lead to them being torn or otherwise injured if you do start to exercise them again without any practice.
Well-stretched muscles are not going to have this same problem, so you must include at least a few stretches before you start a session.
Helps Reduce Tension In Muscles
Not only are tense muscles more likely to injure themselves, but they are also likely to cut off the circulation of blood to any parts of the body that you ant to exercise.
Doing the appropriate stretches regularly for those areas will help blood flow going to every corner of your body that needs it.
Final Thoughts
So, there you have it! The benefits of stretching when it comes to injuries are pretty clear, so make sure to add them to your routine!
Comentários