Author: hendesu

When done properly, any modality of stretching feels great! In this article I go very quickly over the general benefits of stretching. In my next post I will go into Assisted Stretching and its added benefits on top on the ones I mention below.

• Enhances health of muscles and connective tissues.

• Improves mobility. In another article we will discuss the relationship between flexibility, strengthening, range of motion and how they are key components in mobility.

• Prevents injuries. Flexible and strong muscles are better prepared to deal with the stresses of everyday life, letting you to engage into any activity more comfortably and  in a safer way.

• Breaks Adhesions. Adhesions are fibrous bands of scar tissue that binds together normally separate bodily structures, this adhesions restricts normal movement. 

• Promotes circulation of blood and lymph, which translates into better nutrition for the tissues as well as better waste product removal. 

• Increases immune system response: collagen fibers health is key to the immune system. 

• Promotes better breathing. A poor posture with tight muscles of the trunk reduces ventilatory capacity.  Proper stretching of chest, intercostal and back muscles improves lung capacity.

• Enhances relaxation.

• Improves overall physical performance.  

• Prepares the body for exercise.

• Helps to relieve post exercise aches and pains.

• Improves posture. A poor posture is a combination of of short/tight/contracted muscles on one side of the body  versus weak muscles on the other side.   

• Helps to reduce and manage stress.

Assisted stretching, done in a therapeutic manner, has many advantages over traditional stretching. A lot of it has to do with the ability to isolate the muscles in various ways that is very difficult to do by oneself.  In assisted stretching we have the ability to work not only muscle groups, but individual muscles within those groups, we can stretch them in their insertion or origin points, we can strtech the fibers in various planes making sure we target taut bands that are impeding proper function within the muscles.
Assisted stretching is a very powerful tool whether you are an athlete and you want to improve your performance, spend a lot of time in front of a computer and want to undo all the tightness that sitting does to you or you want to take your yoga practice to the next level.

Assisted stretching is for every-body, and is little by little is becoming more popular. Here is a New York Times article that talks about this.