0330 088 7800
Following an assessment of your condition by one of our experienced therapists you will usually be given a home exercise plan in conjunction with your routine clinic treatment. Even if your condition or injury does not include a specific limitation of your range of movement, it is usually advisable to perform stretches prior to completing exercise.
If a joint, muscle or connective tissue becomes injured it can easily heal in a shortened pattern due to the constrictive nature of the healing tissues. If left untreated it can cause restricted movement, painful twinges and increase the risk of injuring the affected tissues again. Severe cases of muscle contractures, often related to long term neurological conditions, can have a pronounce effect on muscle strength and functional ability.
Following instruction from your physiotherapist you will be able to target areas of restricted movement that may cause pain or otherwise limit your flexibility. In this way you can regain full range of movement and reduce the risk of further pain or injury.
Above: Stretching can help reduce the likelihood of injury occuringStretching exercises will be tailored to target your problem areas and will vary in intensity and duration depending on the desired effect. They movements will be easy to perform and only take a few minutes of your time each day. Your muscles will achieve a better stretch if they are warmed up first with some gentle movements. This leads to better soft tissue extensibility and improves the effectiveness of the stretch. Maintaining each stretch for around 10-15 seconds is important to overcome the initial tension in the muscle tissue and achieve lasting change to the tissue flexibility.
The main rehabilitation benefits to our stretching programmes include;
- Increased range of movement
- Decreases muscle tension / tone
- Increases proprioception, awareness of body position
- Improves neuromuscular co-ordination
- Reduces the risk of muscular and soft tissue injury
- Improves sweep of synovial fluid around joint capsule, supplying nutrients
Above: Our friendly and supportive physiotherapists can demonstate a variety of effective stretches.If you would like to know more about our stretching programmes or wish to book yourself in for an assessment please contact us via email at office@physio.co.uk or phone us on 0330 088 7800.
