Back pain accounted for more than139 million doctor visits in the United States in 2005 and cost $17.6 billion in treatments, tests and medications. Many of these cases are chronic pain resulting from poor posture, poor movement patterns and spine...
Stretching is a necessary part of the healing and rehabilitation process for those who have experienced a shoulder injury or surgical procedure. Stretching maintains function, mobility and range of motion in the injured joint. Your doctor or...
Stretching a muscle group and joint tissue improves their range of motion and tissue elasticity as well as reducing muscle tightness. Certain muscle groups get tight because of specific positions that you put yourself in, such as sitting and...
The knee is a weight bearing hinge joint that connects your femur with the tibia. The knee joint contains four ligament groups that stabilize the leg, and your quadricep, hamstring, and calf muscles that enable flexion and extension of the knee....
Although often referred to as a collective, your quadriceps is actually a group of four muscles: the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius and vastus medialis. The quadriceps' primary function is knee extension, or straightening a...
Stretching your legs can improve your range of motion, tissue elasticity, and prepares your mind and body for the upcoming activity or exercise. Stretching your legs can also influence how well your hips and upper body move because they are...
Whether or not stretching after exercise can help prevent soreness or injuries remains controversial. There is no question, however, that a few minutes of post-exercise or cool-down stretching following an aerobic workout feels good and gives your...
The kicks, leaps and poses involved in dance require extensive flexibility. Improving your flexibility not only leads to a greater range of motion for your muscles, it also relieves stress, improves your performance and even prevents injury....
Tight shoulders affect your posture and can make certain activities difficult, like lifting your arms overhead. A comprehensive stretching routine helps improve the range of motion of your shoulder joint and can help prevent shoulder injuries....
If you suffer from arthritis and the condition causes stiffness in your ankle joints, you may experience significant discomfort and have trouble walking. To help relieve your symptoms and increase joint range of motion, develop a thorough but...
Sitting for long periods of time can cause you to have back pain. As Peter F. Ullrich, Jr., M.D. explains it, the soft tissues and tendons in the back muscles need to be moved and stretched; keeping them in a position of limited movement can make...
Stretching increases your flexibility, improves your range of motion and can even prevent injuries. Whether your chosen mode of exercise is a taxing leg workout such as running or your everyday activities include several trips up and down the...
Flexibility is vital to a gymnast's performance. Even beginner gymnasts need to stretch daily to improve flexibility. After five to 10 minutes of cardiovascular exercise to warm up your muscles, perform this static stretching routine. Hold each...
The head-to-toe stretch means flexing your spine forward to bring your head closer to your legs. This is a common pose in yoga that induces relaxation in your spine and hips. You can perform this exercise as part of your daily stretching routine...
If you participate in a regular exercise program, it is important always to stretch. According to the American Council on Exercise, flexibility is needed to maintain range of motion in your joints and to reduce the risk of injury and muscle...
Active abdominal stretching refers to moving your abdominal region and your torso in various directions or in one direction repetitively with rhythm and control, says physical therapist Chris Frederick, co-author of "Stretch to Win." This method...
No matter what position you play in softball, you'll help prevent injury and ensure your body is warmed up and ready to play by engaging in stretching exercises. Stretching exercises help increase blood flow to all parts of your body and it also...
Your hip joint is one of the most complex in your body. It allows you to rotate and move your leg forward, back and side to side. The muscles around the joint can become tight, and stretching helps to alleviate these tight, short muscles. Stretch...
The full golf swing requires your body to move through ranges of motion not typical for normal daily activities. Therefore, you should perform a stretching routine daily, and especially before each round, to improve your golf swing and...
To maximize the therapeutic benefits, a stretching routine can be incorporated as a part of a massage therapy session. This is often done in the course of sports massage, rehabilitative massage and other types that focus primarily on restoring...
Common injuries involving your scapular include rotator cuff inflammation and tears, tendinitis of the subscapularis muscle and a joint sprain where your collar bone meets your scapular, notes Sportsinjuryclinic.net. While treatment will differ...
Bulking up takes constant, dedicated time and effort. Not only do your have to lift weights, but you also have to pay attention to your nutrition. By eating a balanced diet that is high in quality protein and complex carbs, you will be able to...
While aerobic workouts and strength-training are often recognized as the most common types of physical activity, stretching represents an essential part of a balanced fitness regimen. Dedicating time throughout your week to stretching is the best...
Stretching is done in conjunction with exercising, with the purpose of reversing some of the muscle contraction that happens after a workout. Stretching has the greatest effects when done after every workout. Most Army physical training sessions...
Power 90 Extreme, or P90X, is a home fitness program created by Tony Horton and Beachbody Fitness. Incorporating a variety of exercises and targeting multiple muscle groups, P90X relies on warm-up and cooldown stretches to help prevent injury. In...
Tendon flexibility is one of the factors that governs your range of motion, regardless of which tendons you're referring to. When it comes to your toes, improved range of motion allows you to respond to a wider range of positions while keeping you...
Building the muscle elasticity needed in your legs to get your kicks up higher does not happen overnight and requires lots of time spent stretching. Regardless of whether your high kicks are for martial arts or for dancing, a number of different...
Soccer injuries, particularly commonly seen ones to the hamstrings and knees, may arise from insufficient warmups and stretching. Trainers in pro leagues instruct players on the best ways to stretch to avoid such mishaps. Elite players tend to...
When considering the wide variety of dance and stretch workout DVDs on the market, look for one that is a match for your current fitness level while offering you the option of a more difficult workout in the future. The best way to do this is to...
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