Joint Pain

Stretching is a must especially if you are experiencing joint pain and for managing arthritis for better joint health.

Have you ever wondered how to get the most out of a stretch?  Well try a little self-PNF.

PNF stands for proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation and it simply means that our muscles receive messages from our nerves that can facilitate a better stretch reflexively.  Our muscles have sensor nerves (proprioceptive neurons) that pick up sensations like a strong contraction or a rapid bouncy movement and react by sending a message to the muscle to relax or contract in response.  When it comes to enhancing a stretch your goal is to get the muscle to relax as much as possible, thus you want to stimulate the sensor nerve with a 10 to 15 second held contraction (called and isometric contraction). 

Immediately following this contraction the muscle will reflexively respond by releasing and relaxing.  This reflex allows for an immediate gain in range of motion and extensibility.  Many physical therapists use a technique called the ‘contract/release method’ to rehab chronically tight muscles.  You can try it on your self with the help of a bath towel or stretch strap.  Lie down on your back and use the towel or strap (wrapped around your thigh) to pull your leg towards your chest.

Next press your leg away from your body into the towel, while holding the towel firmly in pace and forcing the back of the leg and hip to contract.  Hold that contraction for three deep breaths.  Release the pressing action and use the towel to pull your leg back towards your body into a deeper stretch position.  You should notice an immediate increase in range and flexibility. You can try to perform this same contract then release type stretching for various parts of your body.  Keep in mind that the contraction happens by moving and holding in the opposite direction of the stretch position. 

So for another example, if your target is your lower leg (calf muscle), stretch the muscle by wrapping a towel around the bottom of your forefoot and pulling your toes towards your shin; to contract, point your toe away from your shin while pressing into a towel, hold for 3 deep breaths, then repeat the stretch position. 

Here is a quick list of moves to stretch the major body parts:

• Chest- open arms outward and behind the body
• Upper back and neck – move head towards the opposite shoulder
• Front shoulder – open arm out or behind body 
• Rear shoulder: move arm across the chest
• Spine – round spine forward, side ways or rotate
• Buttocks – flex hip by moving the thigh forward towards torso or across the torso
• Front thigh – extend hip by moving the thigh back behind the body and bending the knee
• Rear thigh – hip flexes by moving forward towards torso and extending knee
• Low leg or calf – move forefoot towards shin

Remember to use the stretch/contract method, you need to move the body part in the opposite direction of the stretch and hold it in a static contraction for 3 deep breaths.

Try it ... to take your stretch routine to a new limit.  Stretching is a great treatment for joint pain and can help keep your joints on the move.  Be sure to take your liquid glucosamine and chondroitin supplement too for improved joint health and flexibility.