Questions about stretching

[Swimmer]

For anyone who knows, I'd appreciate any insight you can share.

Can you stretch too much? I'm in my early 50s and have been plagued with trigger points. Recently, I experienced what felt like a muscle spasm when doing a straddle stretch, and since, have had some pretty bad lower back pain and decreased range of motion when doing forward folds/bends. I have been working with a foam roller, TP massage ball, doing yoga/pilates, and stretching. It's slowly --- too slowly --- improving, so I'm desperately trying to schedule a session w/a massage therapist.

I don't want this to happen again. I obviously overstretched to the point of causing a new trigger point. I've heard so much conflicting guidance about stretching---go only to your natural range of motion, try to go beyond it, hold the stretch 20/30 seconds, etc.

Can anyone help, please?

By the way, I recently got Paul Katami's 4X4 system and that foam roller session was wonderful! Of course, spending 9.5 hrs in my chair at work and I'm sore again!

 

[firemedic]

From what I've been told by my PT and a yoga class I used to go to is NEVER go beyond your natural stretch. If it doesn't feel good, it's not good for you. Sorry to hear about your pain and hope you get better soon. I just got okay to start working out again after about 30 days with lower back problem. I stretch all the time at home just to help me feel better.

 

[IslandRose]

From what I've been told by my PT and a yoga class I used to go to is NEVER go beyond your natural stretch. If it doesn't feel good, it's not good for you. Sorry to hear about your pain and hope you get better soon. I just got okay to start working out again after about 30 days with lower back problem. I stretch all the time at home just to help me feel better.

Yes, I have heard this exact same thing. Never go beyond your comfort zone when it comes to stretching. Stretching should feel good not painful. If it feels painful you may have pushed too far. I remember back in my gym days when I used to see guys with muscle tears and they were usually due to overstretching.

 

[Fit_mommy]

You should only stretch what's tight. If you consistently stretch areas that do not need it, you will create what's know as Relative Flexibility in that area and this has the potential to lead to serious problems down the road....

Relative flexibility
Shirley Sahrmann, an American physiotherapist, uses the term 'relative flexibility' to describe how the body achieves a particular movement using the relative flexibility available at a series of joints. She believes that in order for the body to achieve a particular range of motion, it will move through the point of least resistance, or area of greatest relative flexibility.
A good example is to think of a rower at the bottom of the catch position. In this position the rower must have his hands (and the oar) past his feet in order to generate the drive necessary to transfer force from his body to the oar. If for some reason the rower has excessively tight hips and can't bend up (or flex) the hips (usually due to gluteal tightness), his body will find somewhere else to move to compensate for that lack of hip flexibility. More often than not, this rower will flex the lumbar and thoracic spines to make up for the lack of hip flexion. That is, the back has more 'relative flexibility', and therefore contributes to the overall range of motion. In this case however, the back will exhibit movement that is more than ideal, possibly leading to lumbar and thoracic dysfunction and pain.
The concept of relative flexibility is vital when understanding movement dysfunction in athletes. It is imperative that joint movements are not looked at in isolation, for other more distant joints will influence that movement. Try this simple test to highlight this point. Sit on a chair with your upper backed slumped (that is, assume a poor posture). Now, maintaining this position, try to elevate both arms above your head. Now straighten yourself up (assume a good posture) and try it again. Unless you have gross shoulder dysfunction, you will be able to elevate more with a straight back than a curved one. By assuming a slumped position, you prevent the upper back (thoracic spine) from extending. This extension of the upper back is necessary for full range elevation. Without extension, it is difficult for the shoulder to fully elevate. If you do this for long enough (months to years) eventually the lack of movement will attempt to be taken up elsewhere (such as the lower back, or the shoulder itself). This may eventually lead to breakdown of these joints due to the excessive movement they may eventually demonstrate.]

Flexibility and stretching: preventing sports injuries

So to answer your question "Is there such a thing as stretching TOO much?", that answer would be YES.

HTH!

 

[Swimmer]

Thanks for the responses. This morning, I kept my stretching very conservative and had very little low back pain all day. I also took a muscle relaxant before bed last night (didn't take one today---they turn me into a narcoleptic!)

Can't wait for my massage Saturday morning, although I'm sure I'm going to have a lot of DOMS from it. I can't wait until I can do some gentle yoga again.

 

[Nanbo]

My understanding of trigger points is to think of them like knots in a rope. If you pull the ends of the rope (stretching) you only make the knot tighter. I bet a few sessions with a trigger point massage specialist will give you a great deal of relief! I've been meaning to do the same thing myself !