How Much Stretch Should I Feel?
It can be really satisfying to feel a sense of stretching a muscle, without it crossing into pain, numbness, tingling, or anything that cautions we're possibly overdoing it or risking injury.
However, there can be factors that affect what our safest range of motion is, and how much stretch sensation we might feel as a result.
These include:
- Past injury
- Sometimes past injuries, dislocations, or other damage to our joints, muscles, tendons, or other tissues affects what our safe range of motion is.
- This may lead our joints to be overly flexible, or more limited than they were before the injury, and that affects what our new safe range of motion is for stretching. Effective stretching can be tailored for this.
- Past surgeries or procedures
- These can also change the range of motion in a joint, whether the procedure affects bones, ligaments, muscles or other structures, or whether there is hardware or other devices involved to respect and keep safe.
- Any of these examples can also affect our safe range of motion, and how much stretch we may or may not feel. Stretch can be tailored to optimize effectiveness and safety.
- Nerve issues or conditions
- Anything that affects the sensation or input from an area of the body can affect how we experience sensation during stretching, so it must be determined what the safe range of motion is, and which stretching techniques best serve someone on an individual basis.
- Hypermobility
- Sometimes we have one or more joints that have an above average range of motion, or has excess flexibility. This may mean that we do not feel stretch sensation unless the joint is pushed to its furthest limits of motion, which is often not healthy for the joint itself.
- Techniques other than the maximum tolerated range of assisted passive stretching are often safer and more effective, even if they may not have a lot of stretch sensation.
- Pain
- Pain from muscles, nerves, skin, or any other body structures can limit how and how much we should stretch a given area. Stretching must be done in a way that is sustainable and supports any pain relief or recovery.
The good news is that if you have a safe range of motion that limits how much stretch can be placed on a joint, muscle, or other structure, you can still find a variety of techniques that work for you! This may be a combination of specific movements, alternating stretch with muscle resistance or contraction techniques, myofascial techniques, tailored passive stretch options, targeted strengthening, safely supported relaxation techniques, or a variety of other ways to stretch and move effectively and feel great.
Our Stretch Therapist and Chiropractic Team are happy to help you with options tailored to you to meet your goals!
