by Brianna Wilkerson, PTA

Have tight muscles that are uncomfortable or affecting your everyday movements? Daily stretching can help! It is important to keep your muscles flexible to maintain good range of motion and it has other benefits you may not know about too! Here are 5 good reasons why you should be stretching every single day.

1. Improves Blood Flow

Stretching widens the blood vessels to allow more blood flow to happen. Since it increases blood flow, it is also helping to deliver nutrients to your muscles and increase oxygen levels to help your muscles heal.

2. Can help to identify body imbalances

When stretching, you may notice that a certain stretch is more difficult or perhaps you can stretch one side farther than the other. You can use this information to identify muscles that are tighter or more difficult to move. This can help you target those areas to get that muscle back to the flexibility it needs.

3. Improves posture

After identifying body imbalances, you can work on gaining flexibility back to those muscles that are too tight. When muscles are imbalanced, it often affects our posture in a negative way. Stretching can help get your body realigned and improve your posture.

4. Maintain range of motion

When muscles are tight, it can be difficult to move them around in all the ways they are supposed to. Stretching can improve flexibility and keep appropriate muscle length so that you can move with less restrictions. We recommend using a stretching strap to improve range of motion. This one on Amazon is a great, affordable option – https://amzn.to/3VnjCPX.

5. Relaxation

Stretching can relieve tension in the body built up from everyday stress. Try to relax even more by using deep breathing exercises. This might even help you sleep better!

Keep in mind:

• Aim to get a good stretch but you shouldn’t be in pain!
• Hold each stretch 10-30 seconds.
• Practice deep breathing.

If you’re experiencing pain when doing your daily stretching routine, reach out to us online or give us a call at 866-588-0230 to schedule a free movement screen.

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