Stretching when you are injured
If you suffer an injury, whether it is from doing a sport or from exercising, you will need to rest. Try not to think about the missed days working out and just focus first on recovery before you do any strenuous activity.
Forcing yourself to stretch or exercise when injured can make things worse, and can even lead to a permanent injury. Do not listen to people who say that stretching your injured muscle helps it heal, that is just bad advice.
Doing it even if it is painful
One common motto that you hear when it comes to exercise is “No pain, no gain.” After all, exercise is hard work, and sometimes you just need to push through to achieve your fitness goals.
But the reality is that whenever you feel any sort of pain or serious discomfort when you exercise, you are doing it wrong.
In particular, stretches should not feel painful. You may feel some strain or difficulty when stretching, and that is alright. But if it starts to feel painful, you need to stop. Pain is usually our body’s signal for injury. You may seriously hurt yourself if you push your muscles too far.
Having poor posture or form
Just like other exercises, you need to have proper posture and form when you are stretching. If you start out stretching with poor form, you are doing bad stretches and it is not a good habit to develop.
It would be a good idea to learn from fitness trainers or a friend who knows what they are doing. This helps lower the risk of injury and also improves the quality of your stretching.
Holding your breath when holding a stretch
This is a common mistake that a lot of people make when they start stretching. Holding your breath makes stretching more difficult since it makes your muscles tense and more resistant.
Try to breathe normally when stretching and you will notice a world of difference.
Comments
Share your thoughts
Be the first to let Hello Doctor know your thoughts!
Join Us or Log In to join the discussion