At Stretch most people come to us with pain and stiffness that may have come from some particular injury or instance, or it may have resulted from general, usually long term misuse of their bodies' e.g. bad posture, sitting for long periods.
It is a common occurrence that when we feel discomfort or pain we try to avoid doing the movement or position that causes it. It becomes a protective strategy that we can be completely unconscious of that stops us using our bodies. Of course there are injuries like broken bones that we do not want to move as it would cause more problems than good but in the vast majority of cases getting movement to the effected area is exactly what is required. Let's use back pain as the example to illustrate this point. From gardening, sitting for long periods, working at a computer, weak stomach muscles, repetitive lifting, and carrying heavy loads, being overweight, poor posture, little exercise and the list goes on, we can develop sore backs. Once you feel that twinge of discomfort you begin to stiffen your body and a chronic condition can follow with time. Years ago it was recommended that bed rest was the solution to a bad back where as now we know better and even general practitioners (GPs) tell patients to get back to work as soon as possible. There are continual campaigns to the older generations to keep moving, keep mobile, stay active, encouraging gentle exercise, to prolong life and increase the quality. This is the "use it or lose it" principle.

Back to the spine (pardon the pun!) - it is an inter-connected chain supporting us, therefore if even one part gets stiff or stuck it will affect the whole, and movement will be thus limited. Once a segment has stopped functioning optimally degeneration of the joint can begin relatively quickly. Some if the results can include wear and tear of the facet joints, the posterior junction between vertebrae that begins to have more bone on bone contact than usual, due to the disc hardening and narrowing which is another aspect of the degenerative process. Discs can bulge and impinge on nerves coming out of the spinal column, and vertebral joints can become unstable as the ligaments that hold them together are stretched too far as they attempt to over work.

The discs are a particular focal point of back problems as any lack of movement prevents the disc getting necessary nutrition and ridding them of waste. They need to stay fluid and spongy to absorb and assist the body in movement and it is things like walking and bending that allow this to be maintained. These movements have the spine act like a pump for flushing the discs. As space is made between vertebrae (when bent over or in the rise phase of walking) a vacuum like effect is caused, and when vertebra are compacted (when standing, sitting, and the stepping down part of walking) the discs are squashed. The problem arises when discs remain predominantly squashed, compacted and we line lives that encourage us to sit the majority of the time which outs even greater pressure on the spine than standing. It's easy to imagine then that is you are feeling pain in your back and you stop moving it, the discs will lack the flushing they need and effectively begin to die. Over time the disc will flatten, lose fluid, not get nutrients, retain waste, and the vertebra either side will begin to grow together, fusing eventually as the body naturally protects itself assuming this area should no longer move.

The same goes for other areas of our bodies' and the problems that arise. Shoulder and hips lock up, wrists and ankles stick, knees get stiff and sore. Arthritis is a common condition that can come from not moving your body. The area will get inflamed to protect and care for it's self but when we don't move the part to flush the area and get it back to normal working, the swelling stays. Of course some time of rest is needed with injury, and recovery should be slow and steady; only pushing it carefully, bit it is worth the discomfort. These are some of the principles of the active isolated stretching modality that we use at Stretch. We get the body moving but only as far as it will naturally go and only holding stretches for no more than 2 seconds so the body doesn't need to protect itself by tightening up. We are constantly moving in and out of stretches, repetitively, so range of motion increase easily and the muscles and joints are flushed with oxygenated blood that brings good nutrients for function and healing, while removing toxins and waste that build up and contribute to making problems worse.

Wouldn't you rather get full mobility back in your spine so you could continue playing with children and grand children, participating in activity/sports, gardening, generally living your life happily and comfortably? Make sure next time you feel a stiff or sore spot in your back, or anywhere else in your body, allow it to rest and the majority of pain to dissipated, then get moving, even if it's only a little at a time it will make all the difference. Don’t be scared, use it or lose it!