Three Magic Tips to Relieve Pain by Stretching!
Stretching can be an extremely effective way to relieve pain by promoting flexibility, improving circulation, and significantly reducing muscle tension. Engaging in regular stretching routines specifically targets those muscle groups that may be tight or strained, ultimately helping to alleviate feelings of discomfort.
Even though people may (or may not) stretch regularly, there are a few techniques and tips that unlock all the pain relief benefits that come from effective stretching. Today, I will share with you Three Magic Tips to Relieve Pain by Stretching!
Magic Tip #1 - Stretch Until TENSION, not PAIN.
When you stretch, everybody may think the further you go, the better it will be. Not necessarily. Always stretch your muscles until you feel tension and then hold the stretch there. Going past this range of motion increases the sensation of pain and chances of straining the muscle.
Your current range of motion should be respected when you begin to incorporate a stretching routine. When you feel tension on the muscle, that’s already more than enough of a stretch to stimulate the stretching response. All you have to do at that point is hold the tension and return your body to a relaxed state as fast as possible. As the muscle relaxes more, you can move a little further out of the range as long as there’s tension, not pain.
Increasing your range of motion comes over time with consistent practice. Every session should be a gradual increase. Doing too much too soon is never a great plan in fitness especially when it comes to stretching tight muscles. If you do it slowly, you will get the most pain relief!
Magic Tip #2 - Hold Stretches for 20 Seconds and More.
Holding a stretching for a moment will never lead to pain relief. Muscle stretching is actually a reflex that involves your brain. When you stretch your muscles through movement, that tension and pain sends a message to your brain to tell the muscle to contract to prevent overstretching and strain to the muscle. This is autonomic response as a defense mechanism to protect you from getting hurt.
But when you are stretching muscles on purpose, you have to wait a little while for the muscle to tell the brain to relax the muscle so you can stretch past a certain range of motion. It almost feels like you have to stay until your brain can be convinced that you are not getting hurt from these new ranges of motion.
Only until then, the brain can turn off those connected neurons and the muscle can finally relax and stretch past your current range of motion. This whole process takes about 20 seconds to actually happen then any extra time after that is when the benefits of stretching and pain relief actually happens! (If you really want to see this phenomenon happen at its max potential, hold a stretch for a minute. You can really feel muscles turn off!)
So when you stretch for 10 seconds, nothing has even happened because your brain never got a message that you were trying to stretch. If anything, it was tightening your muscle to protect you because it didn’t know your intention in the first place. Stretching involves a lot of patience, relaxation and being content with just staying put for a while.
Magic Tip #3 - Breathe DEEP and SLOW While Stretching
Incorporating deep breathing techniques during your stretching routine enhances overall relaxation, further helping to decrease pain levels and promote a sense of well-being. When you breathe deep and slow, it helps speed the relaying of the message to your brain to promote the full relaxation of the muscle being stretched.
The faster your breathing is, the more signals of stress you give to your brain but the SLOWER your breathing is, the signals sent to the brain are about experiencing low stress. When your body is relaxed, your muscles can turn off and actually enjoy the rain relieving sensation that you are trying to create.
Most people hold their breath when stretching because they are experiencing pain that is coming from how tight muscles are. It’s very important to understand that the moment you feel the tension (Magic Tip #1) begin to breathe slow and deep so you can actually stay there from 20 seconds or longer (Magic Tip #2).
This part definitely takes practice because most people are not great breathers, especially under tension and pain. Try to build the habit of holding a stretch for 5-8 deep breaths and that should be a great start to learn to breathe deep and slow while stretching. Breathe the pain away!
Conclusion: You can see that when all THREE magic tips are happening at the same time while you stretch can unlock the full potential of pain-relief and finally improve your range of motion. Your flexibility has been decreasing the moment you were born so incorporating these magic tips while stretching can actually help you make monumental leaps towards a pain-free, low-injury life.
Try to add stretching in the morning, after workouts (the best time) and before going to bed at night. Consistent practice not only aids in immediate relief but can also contribute greatly to long-term muscle health and effective pain prevention strategies. I hope this helped you, thank you so much for reading. Share this with a friend or family member, they may need it more than you think!
- Carl Anthony Grande
Are you tired of feeling pain, tightness and irritation?
If you are ready to turn this year into a pain-free year, apply for a No-Sweat Intro to Empyrea and we can create the most effective fitness plan for you right now! We promote flexibility in our workouts and as part of our overall healthy lifestyle.
Empyrea is the most effective gym in the area because we focus on the most important things that make the biggest fitness changes in the shortest time - LIKE STRETCHING. Try us and live the difference today!
