What You Should Know About Stretching After an Injury
A regular stretching session is key for anyone who hopes to increase and maintain their flexibility and range of motion. Stretching your muscles regularly will also significantly improve your mobility and overall performance. If you have an injury, however, stretching must be done as safely and as carefully as possible.
Does stretching help injuries?
Not only will assisted stretching consolidate your flexibility by ensuring you continue stretching at a safe level, but it also promotes faster recovery. Heal from your injuries faster than you would without. Here is what to remember before you stretch after experiencing an injury.
How to Stretch Safely After an Injury
Never Stretch a Torn or Pulled Muscle
Did you know that stretching an already overstretched, torn, or pulled muscle will only worsen your condition? For this reason, knowing the severity of your injury is extremely important before deciding to do some stretching exercises. This means that you’ll need to get the expert advice of a physician before you stretch.
Follow the R.I.C.E. Protocol
If you’re dealing with mild muscle strains, your doctor may advise you to use the R.I.C.E. protocol. This includes RESTING the affected muscle as much as you can, ICING the tissue to decrease the inflammation, COMPRESSING the muscle by using your compression gear, and ELEVATING the limb in question while resting.
Wait Until the Swelling Subsides Before You Stretch
Your body’s natural response to an injury is to bring more nutrients and fluid into the affected area to repair the damage. This inflammatory response occurs during the first 72 hours following your injury. Stretching during this period will be detrimental to your tissues because they will be very sensitive.
Don’t Wait Too Long to Stretch
In case you’re not aware, scar tissues can quickly develop after an injury. Since this is your body’s normal response, it works to reattach the damaged muscle fibers. However, compared to the muscle fibers that were initially damaged, scar tissue isn’t as strong and as flexible. To combat this, you need to stretch your muscles once your inflammation subsides.
Build Incremental Increases in Flexibility
Although stretching may involve a certain degree of discomfort, you shouldn’t be aggressively pushing your muscle beyond its current range. Overstretching will only lead you back to muscle strains and pulls. It’s best to slowly build incremental flexibility increases over time without pushing it too far.
Be Consistent with Your Stretching Routine
You’re probably aware that strains and pulls are some of the most commonly encountered sports-related injuries because they’re usually the result of the improper use and overstretching of a particular muscle. The best way to avoid this is to remain consistent with a stretching routine that targets your tight muscles. That way, your likelihood of sustaining injuries in the future will be significantly reduced.
Experience an Injury-Conscious Stretching Session at Stretch Zone!
If you’ve been looking for “stretch near me,” look no further than Stretch Zone. Our certified stretch practitioners can help you stretch your way to a quicker recovery. Brace yourself for the best 30-minute stretching session ever and book your FREE stretch at Stretch Zone today.
