While there exist multiple techniques for or approaches to stretching the body, I feel it is safe to say that the static stretching of muscles (or similar connective tissues) is the modality most often employed. There are a few things I would like to quickly state regarding static stretching in order to hopefully highlight why it is that this technique is often fruitless as the arena of stretching can be a little confusing (even for those with a strong background in this stuff).
The first item of business revolves around the fact that it is the nervous system which dictates the length and tone of muscles, so it is the nervous system which must be addressed when attempting to restore a muscle’s length and/or tone. Simply employing traditional, static stretches for short, tight muscles without correcting the reason(s) why those muscles are short and tight will usually be pretty futile. To be more precise, every skeletal muscle fiber’s length and tone is determined largely by one’s sensory-motor system (specifically the alpha-gamma feedback loop). Covering the details of this determination is unnecessary here but during the learning of a particular motor (or movement) pattern, when an equilibrium is reached between the input stemming from what are known as ‘alpha and gamma motoneurons’ (which are responsible for innervating extrafusal and intrafusal fibers, respectively), an assumed appropriate length and tone for the corresponding muscle fibers will be established. Therefore, in order to alter any established length or tone of a muscle it is this neural pattern which must be reset. This resetting can be effectively accomplished with the use of Somatic exercises which I cover in a couple of my e-books if you care to learn more. So only considering the effect of mechanically stretching any type of connective tissue (muscular, tendinous, ligamentous, skeletal, or fascial) regrettably ignores the fact that the length, tone, and response to stretch of any connective tissue is only partly dictated by the state of the tissue structure itself (such as the number of collagen fibrils present, the degree of elongation or deformation of those fibrils, the pattern of remodeling present and active within the tissue, etc.). To say things differently, having a normal range of motion at each joint is innate for the human body (with some rare exceptions), so normal muscle flexibility is only lost when a program is implanted in the nervous system which alters the nervous system’s maintenance of an appropriate length, tone, and extensibility of a muscle. Of course, multiple forms of stress and usage patterning can induce changes in the architecture and composition of connective tissues which could limit the normal extensibility of a muscle, but I’m mainly trying to explain that the simple static stretching of a muscle in order to maintain one’s flexibility or to correct a flexibility issue is rarely going to elicit the results desired. Some of the forms of stress or dysfunctional programming that can inhibit one’s natural flexibility include: improper neuromotor conditioning (learning or practicing how to use or move the body incorrectly), dysfunctional postural carriage (such as forward head posture or rounded shoulders), inadequate nutrition (such as pro-inflammatory diets which easily force postural and movement compensations through what are termed “viscero-somatic reflexes”), restraining psychological and/or emotional patterns held within either the fascial matrix or one’s auric field (which often stem from avoiding or suppressing “negative” thoughts or emotions), hormonal imbalances (such as those stemming from blood sugar levels fluctuating excessively), toxin exposure/accumulation (toxins often settle in extracellular matrices and prevent normal exchange of nutrients and waste as well as inhibit normal movement of tissues), adhesions from muscle spasms or scar tissue formation (which can not only perpetuate inflammatory business but can also alter recruitment patterns and postural carriage), and even imbalances or obstructions within the chakra systems or meridians. So you can see that there are multiple factors which can be at play in the condition of muscles remaining in a short and tight state. With all of this in mind, a more appropriate objective for restoring flexibility would be the returning of the individual or oneself to a state of holistic health, because when that state is achieved one’s normal joint ranges of motion can return without the need for attempts at forcing muscles to lengthen (which can be counterproductive). With that said, simply using some basic self-myofascial release techniques or receiving a good ol’ fashioned massage can be significantly helpful in correcting modest problems that often inhibit normal flexibility from being expressed. Have a good week!
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AuthorDenton Coleman is an Exercise Physiologist and Medical Researcher. Archives
October 2023
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