Stretching

Pandiculation:

our innate response to the sensations of lack of movement and tension building up in our muscles. A body naturally stretches due to a combination of factors, including the need to wake up muscles and improve circulation after periods of inactivity or rest and relieve muscle tension and stiffness.

Hi, I’m Yvette Banks the massage therapist. Welcome to my blog where I go on deep dives on topics I find interesting or pertains to healthcare and massage. I include links to where I get my info so you are more than welcome to fact check. I also will do reviews on products and foods and talk about massage, which is my passion.

In this blog I will be talking about stretching. Should you stretch? when and why did it start?and the controversies.

Through my research, I have found that you have a group on one side, of doctors, physical therapist, chiropractor‘s massage, therapist, etc. that feel you do not need to stretch and it’s a waste of time and on the other side you’ll have a group of similar doctors, physical therapist, chiropractor, massage, therapist, etc., who strongly believe that you should stretch. Then you’ll have those in the middle who believe yes you need to stretch, but certain factors have to be considered. I sit in the middle. I believe that, even though you can fit us all in the same bubble in that, we’re all human and bleed red that’s about it because then you have to take each person on an individual basis. You have to take in all the information Then make an informed decision. You have to take in racial factors genetic factors are they obese, underweight, muscular, old, young, diabetic, autoimmune disorders, cancers the list goes on and on.

Stretching has been part of physical culture for centuries, appearing in practices like yoga in India and martial arts in China and Japan from the 60s to the 80s stretching gained popularity in the west as part of general fitness routines and athletic training

Stretching is important for maintaining flexibility, improving range of motion, reducing the risk of injury and eating recovery after physical activity. It helps muscles stay, healthy and strong, supporting overall mobility and performance, but because there isn’t a lot of consistent and solid data on stretching you have skeptics that don’t believe we need to stretch well if you are on that side of the fence then I say yes you are partially correct which solidifies my belief in that each person is an individual and you have to take each person on an individual basis, for example the 1990s to 2000’s research found that static stretching before intense activity could actually reduce performance but that would mostly pertain to sprinters or high jumpers or basketball players, etc. because they need the spring that is created when those muscles are contracted or are tight as they would need to be to create the spring or the thrust that’s needed, so if you were to go in there and do some deep tissue to relax those muscles or do some static stretching to release all the tension in those muscles then you may perform poorly just before a competition or the day of your competition.

Dynamic stretching would work for those athletes before competing and so that being said, there are several types of stretches, each serving different purposes and benefits, and the main categories are static stretching which involves holding a stretch at the end of its range of motion for a period of time usually between 15 to 60 seconds. This type is often used after workouts to improve flexibility, and so that being said in order to bypass the bodies, natural stretch reflex, you’d wanna hold for at least 30 seconds or more. Dynamic stretching involves moving parts of your body through a full range of motion in a controlled manner. This is often done as part of a warm-up routine to prepare muscles for activity. Then there is ballistic stretching which involves using momentum to push your body beyond its normal range of motion. This method can be effective, but carries a high risk of injury and is generally not recommended for beginners and then you have proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation also known as PNF. This is a more advanced technique that involves both stretching and contracting the muscle group being targeted. It typically requires a partner for assistance. Then you have active stretch. Stretching that involves holding a position with the help of your muscles without any external resistance, for example raising your leg and holding it in the position with your own strength. Passive stretching involves using an external force like a partner, strap or other props to help you hold a stretch. This is beneficial for deeper stretches without muscle fatigue. Myofascial release focuses on relieving tension in the fascia, which is the connective tissue surrounding muscles. This technique often uses tools like foam rollers or massage balls. Functioning stretching emphasizes movements that improve athletic performance in a specific sport or activity it combines dynamic, stretching with specific movements related to that sport.

Each type of stretch can be beneficial, depending on your goals, and the context in which they’re used, always consider warm-up and cooldown routines when incorporating stretching into your exercise regimen

To understand stretching you have to understand The Nervous System and How the Brain Communicates with Muscles. Also, having an understanding of Motor Neurons and the Role of the Golgi Tendon Organ (GTO)

The nervous system controls and coordinates body movements. The brain and spinal cord make up the CNS (Central Nervous System), while the motor neurons in the PNS (Peripheral Nervous System) transmit instructions to the muscles.

When we decide to move or stretch, the brain sends an electrical signal down the spinal cord to motor neurons. These motor neurons then release neurotransmitters at the neuromuscular junction, telling the muscle to contract.

The body has a built-in protective mechanism called the stretch reflex. Muscle spindles sense rapid stretching and tell the spinal cord, which immediately sends a signal back to contract the muscle and prevent injury. When stretching, to sort of bypass that you want to hold stretches for at least 30 seconds. And you want to be consistent.

Golgi Tendon Organ (GTO)

The GTO acts like a safety valve. When too much tension is detected, it tells the spinal cord to inhibit motor neuron activity, causing the muscle to relax and prevent injury.

GTO and Stretching

During static stretching, holding a stretch for 30 seconds or more activates the GTO. This causes the muscle to gradually relax — a phenomenon known as autogenic inhibition — which allows you to stretch deeper without risking injury.

So, by having a better understanding of how the nervous system controls stretching and movement, we can train smarter and stretch more effectively while keeping our muscles safe.

In the 60s, Bob Anderson played a significant role in popularizing stretching for the general public. His 1975 book Stretching became hugely influential and helped bring the practice into mainstream fitness. Even though stretching was used in sports and physical therapy before Anderson‘s work helped organize and promote it as a daily fitness activity accessible to everyone.

It’s like I tell my clients, when we stop growing we then have to take in consideration, gravity and life activities also genetics. And so if you’re not stretching and strengthening those muscles and those ligaments and those tendons then you’re doing yourself a disservice. Also, at some point in our life, there is a key gene known as SIRT1 (Sirtuin 1) keeps our bones healthy and strong. This gene is part of a family of proteins involved in cellular aging, DNA repair, and metabolic regulation. In bone tissue, SIRT1 supports the activity of osteoblasts (bone-building cells) and suppresses osteoclasts (bone-resorbing cells), maintaining a healthy balance is critical for bone density.

As people age, SIRT1 expression declines, tipping the balance toward more bone breakdown and less bone formation. This contributes to age-related bone loss and conditions like osteoporosis.

Research shows that activating SIRT1—through calorie restriction, exercise, such as resistance training or compounds like resveratrol (a polyphenol found in grapes and red wine)—can help preserve bone mass. Scientists are also developing SIRT1 activators as potential treatments for age-related bone diseases.

One of the leading cause of deaths for elderly are falls because of bone loss and muscle loss and so you wanna make sure that you’re on a good stretching and strengthening routine so that you can keep your bones and your muscles, nice and healthy and strong.

On going research offers mixed results, depending on the type of sport duration of stretch and when it’s performed either before or after exercise, the value of stretching depends on individual goals, such as flexibility versus performance versus relaxation. We know that stretching has been around for centuries through physical, artifacts writings, and continued traditional practices.

Stretching is a simple yet powerful practice that supports overall health enhances physical performance and promotes long-term mobility. Whether you’re an athlete, a desk worker or anyone in between, incorporating regular stretching into your routine can approve flexibility reduce the risk of injury, relieve tension, and help you move through life with greater ease and comfort, and most importantly, consistent, stretching, and using the correct stretching technique based on what you’re stretching for.

Thank you for reading this blog on stretching. Please stay tuned for more blogs to follow. I am new to this and trying to get a feel for it so a little bit nervous but at the same time, I am spending a great deal of time learning and studying stuff that I find powerful and want to then put the knowledge that I’ve acquired onto my clients and any other person that is willing to read my blogs. So If you find this interesting or know of anybody else that would benefit from this, Please feel free to share and again stay tuned for more blogs to follow.

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1. Health.Harvard.edu The importance of stretching 4/17/24 Howard E LeWine MD

2. Stretch22.com Why we stretch

3. Pic.Navi.nlm.nih.gov/national library of medicine/int J Sports Physical Therapy 2012 Feb 7

4. Marieb, E. N., & Hoehn, K. (2018). Human Anatomy & Physiology (11th ed.). Pearson Education.

5. Comprehensive resource on the nervous system and muscle physiology.

6. McArdle, W. D., Katch, F. I., & Katch, V. L. (2015). Exercise Physiology: Nutrition, Energy, and Human Performance (8th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.

7. Explains how the Golgi Tendon Organ and muscle spindles function during exercise and stretching.

8. Enoka, R. M. (2008). Neuromechanics of Human Movement (4th ed.). Human Kinetics.

9. Details the neural control of movement, motor units, and reflexes.

10. Sharman, M. J., Cresswell, A. G., & Riek, S. (2006). Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation Stretching: Mechanisms and Clinical Implications. Sports Medicine, 36(11), 929–939.

11. Discusses the mechanisms behind stretching, including GTO and muscle spindles.

12. National Institutes of Health (NIH). (n.d.). How the nervous system works.

    https://www.ninds.nih.gov

13. Zainabadi, K., et al. (2017). SIRT1 is a positive regulator of osteoblast differentiation and function. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 32(2), 260–273.

14. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbmr.2983

    Shakibaei, M., et al. (2012). Resveratrol stimulates osteoblast differentiation through SIRT1 and BMP2 signaling pathways. Age, 34(2), 273–289.

15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-011-9221-1

    Kim, H. N., et al. (2015). SIRT1 regulates bone mass by regulating sclerostin expression in osteocytes. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 30(4), 653–662.

16. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbmr.2402

    Caloric restriction and SIRT1 activation delay age-associated bone loss. Aging Cell, 13(5), 823–832.

17. https://doi.org/10.1111/acel.12245

    
    
    
    

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