Stretching your back relieves muscle tension and can help to reduce many forms of back pain. According to Mayo Clinic, increasing flexibility can relieve stress and is linked with injury prevention. When performing any stretch, be careful to avoid...
Knee pain is common among people of all ages, and may be due to injuries like ruptured ligaments, torn cartilage or medical conditions like arthritis, gout and certain infections, according to MayoClinic.com. However, there are some stretching...
Over your lifetime, your legs put up with a lot of weight and stress, which makes them susceptible to problems such as cramps and injuries. Tight muscles, tendons and ligaments in your legs also increases your risk of injuries and can inhibit your...
Supple calf muscles help you avoid injury as you jump, run or even just walk. Regular stretching, especially after workouts, can improve calf flexibility and help reduce after-workout soreness. Stretching your calves becomes particularly important...
Nearly every physical sport will give your child a chance to stretch out and exercise his body to some degree. Many organized programs for sports such as soccer, football and basketball require kids to stretch out their bodies as part of pre-game...
For some, getting their ears pierced isn't enough. They also want to stretch those piercings so larger plugs or objects can fit into the holes. Sometimes called gauging, stretching out the ear lobes is a process that takes a lot of time and...
Your back consists of bones and muscles that must handle stress on a daily basis. Strain from lifting or exercising, or long periods of sitting or lying down can affect your back flexibility. This causes you to feel cramped, tense or...
Your shin is located on the front of the lower half of your leg. The muscle of the shin is called the tibialis anterior. The job of this muscle is to flex the foot, drawing the toes toward the leg. This muscle is used to help lift the toes off the...
Rapid foot growth can cause a child's shoe to become uncomfortable. The American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society suggests checking children's shoes regularly to ensure they are not getting too tight. Ill-fitting shoes can cause calluses,...
Shin splints is a commonly used term for the condition of medial tibial stress syndrome, though some people describe any kind of shin pain as shin splints. Your shin, or tibia, has muscles attached to it. When your shin is stressed -- through...
Cramps do not actually take place in the knees. They appear in the neighboring muscles close to the knees, which include the quadriceps, hamstrings and calves. Cramps flare up when you overuse a muscle, do not get the proper amount of hydration...
A stiff neck can arise due to a variety of causes, such as sitting or standing with poor posture, sleeping in an awkward position, or turning your head repeatedly or suddenly. Stretching the muscles that surround and act on your neck, particularly...
Stretching has numerous benefits, including increasing flexibility for exercise and day-to-day tasks and improving your overall range of motion and circulation, which can help to reduce the risk of injury and speed recovery after injuries. Studies...
There are many causes of pain in the hip region, whether it is from a pinched sciatic nerve deep in the buttocks or compressed nerve in the lumbar spine. Stretching reduces the tightness in the hip muscles and alleviates compression that may...
The lower back can be susceptible to a lot of pain and pressure. If you stand a lot for work, perform repetitive twisting and lifting movements, or participate in a lot of physical activity it is important to stretch your lower back. Stretching...
Lower back tightness can cause pain and discomfort, not only in your lower back, but in your hips, pelvis and legs. Primary causes of low back stiffness are poor sitting and sleeping postures. Performing gentle stretches in the morning and during...
The tailbone, known in anatomical terms as the coccyx, sits right at the base of the spinal column. When it comes to stretching, it is not the actual bone that you need to focus on --- it is the neighboring muscles, tendons and ligaments. Any time...
If you've watched daytime or late-night TV recently, you've probably seen commercials for slant boards -- also known as inversion boards or inversion therapy tables -- intended to stretch out your back and relieve back pain. Slant boards work by...
Like most other questions related to health and exercise, the answer to this one is a resounding "It depends." All muscles have the ability to contract (shorten) and extend (lengthen). What they're doing at any specific moment is based on the...
Your calf muscles are used in just about every type of exercise, from biking to jogging to playing sports. It is easy to aggravate and keep reinjuring a calf muscle, and may stay sore in between times you exercise during everyday use. You should...
Your calves are made up of two main muscles: your gastrocnemius and your soleus. Both of these muscles attach to your heel bone via your Achilles tendon and are responsible for extending your ankle in a movement called "plantar flexion." Your calf...
The lumbar spine has the largest set of vertebrae and bears the most weight. Its function is to stabilize your spine and hips to prevent joint diseases and injury when you move and exercise. Although stretching your lumbar spine can improve its...
A good back stretch is an effective way to alleviate a sore back and put you back on track. Regularly stretching your back muscles is the best way to avoid soreness, but when you're in pain, a variety of stretches can help bring immediate relief....
Stretching is an important aspect of any exercise routine. Stretching can help improve your flexibility, strength, and range of motion while helping prevent injuries. Stretching can also be used to help you to rehabilitate following injury. The...
Sciatica is the inflammation or constant irritation of the sciatic nerve that causes pain in the lower back, hips or down the legs. The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in your body that runs from your lower back through the deep layers of your...
You are thrilled to bring your new baby home from the hospital. Every day with your little one is a new adventure. But there are a few strange things about your newborn. For example, newborns have poor vision: they can only see about 8 inches, and...
The muscles that lie behind the breasts are the pectoral muscles. Chest exercises and sedentary activities such as hunching over your desk all day long can cause these muscles to tighten and shorten, resulting in poor posture. Fortunately, there...
Spine stretching decreases compression forces upon the spine and alleviates tension and tightness in your back muscles and connective tissues. This usually involves two types of stretching that produce different results for your spine, which are...
Calories are a unit of measurement for energy used by your body. Your body is constantly burning calories for breathing, digestion and other basic functions; physical activity helps to burn extra calories. Because any form of physical activity can...
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