Stretching is beneficial whether you are healthy or suffering from lower back pain. There are different types of stretching and each has its own advantages based on which muscles of the body it works. If you have lower back pain, we recommend that you do stretching exercises in order to relieve the pain and get comfort. Given below is a description of different types of stretching.
Static Stretching
Static stretching is one of the most common types of stretching. One reason is that it is the safest kind of stretching because of the low degree of tension involved.
You should do static stretching when your body is at rest. This type of stretching consists of several techniques, which gradually stretch a muscle to the point of discomfort. You have to hold the position for up to two minutes. However, 30 seconds is the least amount of time you should hold the stretch in order to reap the benefits of stretching. On the other hand, two minutes is the maximum time for holding the stretch.
During the period of holding the stretch, you may feel a warm sensation or slight discomfort in the involved muscles. As a matter of fact, static stretching tends to work special tension receptors in the muscles. If done the right way, static stretching tends to reduce the degree of sensitivity of receptors of tension. This lets the muscles to relax and be stretched to a greater length.
Passive stretching is a type of static stretching where an external force puts pressure on the limb in order to move it into new place. Passive stretching is the opposite of active stretching. In passive stretching, resistance is usually achieved through gravitational force on the body or limb. Another way to achieve it is with the assistance of partner, mechanical device or stretch bands.
Dynamic Stretching
If you are an athlete, you should go for dynamic stretching. In this stretching, you propel the muscles into an extended movement range not crossing the athlete’s ability to exceed static-passive stretching. If you cross this limit, you are actually doing ballistic stretching.
As a matter of fact, dynamic stretching is ideal for you if you are going to perform in a sporting event. A few years back, people use to do dynamic stretching before doing exercise. Actually, dynamic stretching improves range of motion, oxygen and blood flow to the soft tissues of the body before exertion. Sports trainers and coaches know the importance of dynamic stretching in enhancing performance and cutting down on the risk of injury.
To perform dynamic stretching, you have to propel your muscles gently towards the maximum range of motion. Here, it is important to keep in mind that you should not use forced movements for increasing the range of movement to the level that you may feel pain or suffer an injury. Generally, you should move your muscles in the same way as you would do in a workout. For instance, a martial arts expert who wishes to stretch a hamstring can move a leg forward to get as much height as possible. In this case, light kicks with a bit explosive acceleration and increasing height can be called a dynamic stretch.
PNF Stretching
PNF stretching involves a serious of stretching techniques that are often applied in clinical environments. The purpose of PNF stretching techniques is to improve active and passive range of motion. Aside from this, this type of stretching improve your rehabilitation as well. The active PNF stretching includes a contraction of opposing muscle to stretch the target muscle. After this, the target muscle goes through an isometric contraction. You can do PNF stretching in addition to daily stretching to improve your performance as an athlete.
Ballistic Stretching
Ballistic stretching is a sort of workout or warm-up routine involving quick motions. While doing a ballistic stretch, you have to bounce an arm or leg, all of a sudden, beyond its usual range of motion in order to stretch the target muscles. The purpose of the stretch is to loosen the muscles and improve flexibility. On the other hand, some experts believe that the intensity of this kind of stretching may result in a grave injury. According to most doctors, anatomy experts, personal trainers, this type of stretching is not recommend. Instead, one should go for dynamic or static stretching.
Neural Stretching
As opposed to the name “neural stretching”, you don’t actually stretch your nerves in this type of stretching. As a matter of fact, these techniques help improve the motion of the nerves by improving their capability of sliding and gliding. Muscles in our bodies get stiff, sometimes. So, do the nerves. One reason of muscle stretches is staying in the same position for a long time, or due to the stiffness of muscles surrounding the nerves.
With neural stretches, you can cut down on nerves tightness in addition to reduce pain linked with stiff nerves. Neural stretches involve sciatic nerve stretch, ulnar nerve stretches, radial nerve stretches and median nerve stretches. You can do these stretches on your own.
By identifying what best fits you and apply these different stretching techniques, you will be able to release the tensions in your muscles and improve your anterior pelvic tilt, and also any related lower back pain issues.
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