Stretching is something that most of us know we should do. Unfortunately, most of us don’t do it enough.
Exercising, eating well, and proper hydration are part of a routine to enhance your performance or quality of life.
Similarly, stretching can be an important part of keeping your musculoskeletal system tuned up for performance and quality of movement.
Stretching represents many benefits not only for athletes but, for any active individual.
“For a long time, people have been focused on doing more. Athletes have pursued doing more during their workouts for increased gains. Active people have been trying to do more in their work life and their active pursuits,” says Ken Vick. He has been a high-performance director for elite athletes around the globe and an expert in human performance for over 3 decades.
“But over the last decade, and especially through the pandemic, more people are realizing that they need to focus on their recovery and longevity.
If they want to continue their active lifestyle and their intense training, they have to recover.”
That’s one of the reasons you’ll find assisted stretching is commonplace for elite athletes. It offers them numerous benefits including faster recovery.
What is Assisted Stretching?
When most people think of stretching, they imagine athletes doing some stretches before a workout.
Or maybe the different positions in a yoga class.
Both of those involve stretching, but professionally assisted stretching takes this to a new level. It can improve your movement quality and muscle recovery.
Stretching on your own can be effective. Unfortunately, most of us don’t follow through by doing enough or doing it well. That’s where assisted stretching comes in.
Assisted Stretching (in conjunction with tissue work as part of a Tune-Up at Vive) is delivered one-on-one with a certified expert. They move your body and joints into the right positions and apply the right level of stretch.
Doing this well requires a practitioner with the technical knowledge of multiple assisted stretching techniques. A Vive Recovery Specialist combines PNF stretching, Active Isolated Stretches, and Fascial Stretching depending on your needs.
Three of the main benefits of assisted stretching for recovery are:
- Reduce stress levels
- Decrease muscle stiffness
- Reduce Pain
Reducing stress levels effectively
Putting your body in the hands of a trained assisted stretching professional lets you relax and be guided through the session.
Stretching has been shown to increase the parasympathetic activity (Faranatti et al., 2011) of your autonomic nervous system (ANS).
This is often referred to as the “rest and digest” function of your ANS. When you are stressed or exercising hard you engage the “fight or flight” response of the sympathetic nervous system.
So, if you need to start recovering after a training session, or you’re feeling stressed, stretching can help you flip the recovery switch in your ANS.
And the benefits compound. As you feel more relaxed, your full body will lose the extra tension that can contribute to overall muscle tightness.
And it is more than just the body parts you’re stretching. Your entire body recovers better when you are in a parasympathetic state.
Decreasing muscle stiffness
How often do you find yourself trying to alleviate tension from your lower back, shoulders, or neck? Maybe it’s from a hard CrossFit WOD, a round of golf, or a long run.
Whatever the cause, if you’re stiff and sore, you’re probably not moving as much or as well.
And you need that movement and a full range of motion to recover. After all, you can’t go back to doing those things you love and living your life fully when you can’t move.
The main goal of assisted stretching therapy is to improve range of motion. In addition to practical experience, research demonstrates that stretching increases range of motion. (McHugh, 1992, Ayala, 2010)
With the aid of an assisted stretching practitioner, you will be able to address the right tissues. You will loosen your tight muscles and joints from the daily stresses and strains we subject them to.
Reducing pain with assisted stretching
Past injuries or a lifestyle with limited movement can lead to lingering pain, a decrease in your overall performance and quality of life.
When your muscles, tendons, and fascia tighten due to a tough training session, inactivity or injury, your joint range of motion is impaired. This can alter efficient movement and result in pain.
For many, this makes it even more unlikely that they will stretch.
But stretching helps to reduce back pain and other musculoskeletal pain.
One study looking at people with chronic low back pain found that stretching the hamstrings and lumbar spine significantly reduced pain (Gordon, 2016).
It helps nerves to glide more freely throughout the body and reduce radiating nerve pain (Lee, 2017).
So, when you’re trying to reduce aches and pains to get back to doing the things you enjoy, then an assisted stretching session may help.
Who Benefits From Assisted Stretching?
Anyone can develop tight sore muscles from everyday activities. Stretching helps to relieve aches, pains and stiff tight joints.
“Most elite and professional athletes know they should stretch and feel the benefits. But they still don’t do it on their own enough. Not many spend the 30-60 minutes on it that they really need,” Vick explains, adding that is why so many turn to assisted stretching. “It’s a commitment to getting it done and the quality is much higher.”
And it’s not only for those who exercise, it can be beneficial for pretty much everyone, especially those who suffer from chronic pain.
Subsequently, some of the people that benefit most include;
- People with chronic pain, such as back pain
- People who train hard for sport or fitness
- People who are rehabbing an injury
- People who are active outdoors
Assisted stretching can help you recover faster
Assisted stretch therapies offer both direct and indirect benefits.
You can experience a direct reduction in pain, and improved flexibility.
Indirectly, you can speed up recovery by reducing stress and activating your parasympathetic nervous system.
Assisted stretching is a complement to tissue work. The tissue work helps restore pliability and the stretch relieves tension and restores motion.
Whether you’re in the recovery phase from an injury or just feel less limber, assisted stretch therapy can help.
Assisted Stretching References
- Farinatti PT, Brandão C, Soares PP, Duarte AF. Acute effects of stretching exercise on the heart rate variability in subjects with low flexibility levels. J Strength Cond Res. 2011 Jun;25(6):1579-85
- Lee JH, Kim TH. The treatment effect of hamstring stretching and nerve mobilization for patients with radicular lower back pain. J Phys Ther Sci. 2017 Sep;29(9):1578-1582.
- Gordon R, Bloxham S. A Systematic Review of the Effects of Exercise and Physical Activity on Non-Specific Chronic Low Back Pain. Healthcare (Basel). 2016 Apr 25;4(2):22.
- McHugh MP, Magnusson SP, Gleim GW, Nicholas JA. Viscoelastic stress relaxation in human skeletal muscle. Med Sci Sports Exerc. Dec 1992;24(12):1375–1382
- Ayala F, de Baranda Andujar PS. Effect of 3 different active stretch durations on hip flexion range of motion. J Strength Cond Res. Feb 2010;24(2):430–436
