Touch Your Toes: The Proven Benefits of Stretching for Pain
Stress, depression, and anxiety rates have climbed by an estimated 25% in just the last year. Stress, on its own, is already enough to negatively affect various parts of the body.
But, what does stretching have to do with these mental health issues. Well, one of the benefits of stretching is better overall mental health. There’s more, though!
Stretching can help deal with chronic pain and inflammation, blood circulation, decrease pain, and quite a few other common issues. If you’re curious about how stretching exercises can improve your overall health, consider reading ahead.
The Benefits of Stretching
The many benefits of stretching are quite apparent, and they’re backed by a significant amount of evidence. While it might seem perplexing that a few exercises involving various muscle groups can help with so many issues, there’s an explanation for each one. Here’s a look at some of the, arguably, most important benefits.
How Stretching Reduces Stress
Stretching to reduce stress has a name, and that name is yoga. It’s an activity that utilizes stretching exercises to calm the mind. At an anatomical and physiological level, knots or muscles that are tense passively trigger the “fight or flight” response. By removing the tension, the body can respond accordingly and drop those stress levels.
Stretching for Back Pain
Back pain is common, and a vast majority of the cases are caused by muscle issues. Muscles holding tension reduce range of motion, which means that simple movements can strain said muscles. That’s where stretching can make all the difference. It’s also worth noting that this can strengthen the muscles, reducing the likelihood that you’ll have back pain again in the future.
Muscle stimulation, stretching and strength exercises, and chiropractic care, available at clinics like Waterside Chiropractic office, work well together to reduce back pain. Professionals can assist in stretches, as well as teach patients the proper techniques for when they’re at home.
Reducing Inflammation with Stretches
Finally, stretching can reduce chronic inflammation. This is possible for a few reasons. First, stretching ensures that muscles remain flexible and allows for a wider range of motion in joints, resulting in less long-term pressure on joints. More surprisingly, though, is the impact it has on blood flow.
Because stretching increases overall blood flow, it allows the necessary cells and components to arrive more swiftly and in greater number to any lesion that’s suffering from inflammation. While there’s more proof that this is less effective for chronic pain than acute pain, it’s still possible to see results.
Stretching Makes a Difference
While some doubt the benefits of stretching, they’re absolutely real. Even though there’s so much evidence, it’s still surprising that a few minutes of stretching a day can help with chronic and acute inflammation, chronic back pain, and even certain mental health issues. Whenever possible, consider reaching out to a medical professional for proper guidance before getting started!
Hopefully, this article provided you with some useful information on the various benefits of stretching. If you found it helpful, consider taking a look at some of the other posts on the site.
