Stretching for Aching Joints: Part I

Aching joints are near and dear to my heart. I have had aching joints since I was a teenager, having been diagnosed with osteoarthritis at the age of 13. I was advised by my doctor to stretch. To be honest with you, I started stretching, but I never stuck with it. My reasons for not sticking with it was that the stretching seemed to hurt and make my joints ache so I stopped doing it. I did continue with my strengthening regime, skipping the stretching, which helped me develop muscular strength and good muscle tone. However over time, my joint movements became more stiff, joints ached more, and movement became painful. At this point the doctor's recommendation to stretch became more appealing to me. It also motivated me to learn as much as I could about stretching and flexibility. At that time I was studying exercise physiology and began to research the importance of flexibility and how to stretch for improving aching joints. I want to share three things I learned about the importance of stretching for aching joints in the hopes that it will help motivate you to read my next post that will discuss how to stretch properly when you have achy joints.

#1 Stretching lubricates joints to help them move freely. The inflammation and swelling that happens within an arthritic joint is like the rust that builds up in a door hinge that causes it to squeak and move ineffectively. Stretching that is done properly with the right load and right stretch is the WD40 that will help free up that joint to move better with less squeaking. Sorry folks, if you have arthritis, I cannot promise it will take the aching away, but it can help you be able to get through an exercise routine or daily chores better. However, if you do not have joint disease, I believe aching can be relieved with the right stretching and strengthening program. I will do a future post on strength programs for achy joints.

#2 Stretching improves range of motion and reduces chance of injury. Each joint has an optimal range of motion that allows you to move effectively. A joint that cannot move through its optimal range of motion will use other joints and muscles to perform the movement. When joints and muscles are performing a movement its not designed for for extended periods of time it can lead to injury.

#3 Stretching supports strength. Improving range of motion in stiff and achy joints allows those muscles to produce more tension. The ability to tense muscles is related to the ability to stretch or lengthen those muscles.

I hope I have given you motivation to want to begin a stretching program. My next post will discuss how to begin a stretching program when you have achy joints. I learned the hard way. I came discover the reason my stretching routine was causing my joints to ache when I was a teen was because I started with the incorrect intensity, and I used stretches that were not appropriate for my current level of flexibility.