Stretching for Aching Joints: Part II

In my previous post I discussed the reasons why it is important to stretch aching joints. This post I will discuss important tips for how to start a stretching program. Future posts will discuss types of stretches to use and how to perform them properly.

Tip #1 Know what muscles are tight and focus your stretching in those areas. Each joint has a optimal range of motion so finding the joints with less than optimal range of motion will help you focus your stretching on the muscles that really need improvements in flexibility. There are times that aching joints and muscles are aching because another joint and its muscles are tight. I will do future posts on assessment of flexibility. Self-assessments are an option. However, if you are having chronic aching joints that is preventing you from performing certain activities I recommend you seek the advice of a professional.

Tip #2 Warm-up the muscles before you stretch them. Muscles are elastic and they lengthen better with less friction when they are warm. Examples of warm-ups are cycling and walking. A warm-up should last at least 3 minutes and up to 10 minutes. The amount of time will depend on your fitness level and muscle mass. Those with higher fitness level and muscle mass will need longer warm-up. The intensity of the warm-up should produce a light sweat, and you should still be able to carry on a conversation. Foam rolling can also be very effective within a warm-up to help increase range of motion. I will do a future post on this.

Tip# 3 Stretch to discomfort not to pain. Stretching will be uncomfortable. This is normal. When you stretch your body's initial response to stretch is to reflexively contract the muscle which can feel uncomfortable. What is not normal is when you feel pain such as redness, tenderness, and painful to touch. This is a sign that you stretched too much and you have caused inflammation. People with arthritis often feel this type of pain when they have flare-ups. If you have arthritis avoid stretching when you are having a flare-up. Also, people with arthritis are best to stretch during parts of the day when the joints ache less (typically late morning or afternoon). I will do future post on sets and reps with stretching because this depends on the type of stretching being performed, dynamic versus static stretching.

Tip #4 Be able to breathe when you stretch. I will keep this simple. If you cannot breather the stretch is too much for you.

Tip #5 Keep the joints stable. When stretching their are some very critical joints that need to be kept stable, i.e. aligned properly. The most critical areas to keep stable when stretching are the knees and spine. A stretch that does not keep these joints in their proper alignment should be adjusted. For example, if you are performing a standing stretch and you notice you cannot keep your spine neutral (see picture below of man flexing at his neck) then you may need to try the stretch lying on your back on the floor or not use the tubing.