Often times stretching is put off until “next time” or “later”, when in reality, stretching is one of the most important things you can do for your body. Everyone wants to jump right into the fun stuff like playing sports or lifting weights without taking the time to stretch properly. If people knew the importance of stretching, it might become their first priority. Some common benefits of stretching include increasing your range of motion, helping muscle development, warming you up to prevent injury, and helping posture.

Stretching elongates your muscles so that you become more flexible, which prevents tearing them. For athletes, this is crucial because they can’t afford to have a muscle tear that sets them back for weeks.Stretching also allows for blood to flow throughout your muscles giving them a huge supply of oxygen which helps your endurance during physical activities. This will also speed up your recovery time for muscle soreness. Stretching also helps with good posture and building strong bones. There are ways to build balance from stretching as well, which will prevent falling for older people.

Stretching is beneficial for all ages! When you’re sitting in one spot for a long time, notice how when you stretch after, it feels good. That’s because you’re stretching your joints and allowing blood to flow freely through your muscles. When you’re sitting for long periods of time, your glutes go through the process of atrophy. This means your glute muscles begin to shut down, resulting in over-stressed muscles. These muscles are commonly paired with lower back and knee pain. So it is important to wake those glutes up when you’re working at a desk or just sitting down for long periods of time. Don’t put off stretching anymore, make it a part of your daily routine and you’ll see how much better your body reacts to activities.

 

Did you know that you have Direct Access to Physical Therapy? No referral is needed. We offer the best Physical Therapy on Long Island where you can get help from our trusted and expert Physical Therapists. We have several locations on Long Island including Massapequa, Valley Stream, Wantagh and Lindenhurst. To start your Physical Therapy evaluation, call Advance Physical Therapy and The Physical Therapy Alliance at (516) 568-4444.