Stretching is a specific way of physical exercise that is as old as the humanity, through which we relax the tense muscles, increase our mobility, and achieve the inner balance. It can be done individually or with the help of an expert. The reasons for stretching can be playing sports, for recreational and medicinal purposes, or the traumatic nature of the injury (wrist fracture and the wrist’s condition after the fracture).
When we stand, sit, or lie in the same position for a longer period of time, mild pains in certain spinal areas occur, accompanied with the arm numbness or something similar, which is why our body asks for the certain movements in order to eliminate the pains, and these movements most frequently refer to the stretching exercises.
In today’s day and age, when the sedentary way of life and work prevails, as well as working in the same, often inappropriate position, these pains become more frequent. Therefore, it is necessary to stretch more often in order for us to prevent the appearance of certain pains and eliminate the existing ones.
When it comes to stretching, it is important that we know exactly what we want to stretch, in which direction, in what way does the muscle work, and how to position ourselves properly. After we start with the stretching, we should reach the final position, remain in it for about 15 seconds and then return to the initial position. At the same time, we should not make any sudden movements, but rather do everything slowly and moderately.
Exercises should be repeated a certain number of times, while attention to their duration must be paid. Additionally, we must pay attention to our breathing, because breathing is an important part of all physical exercises, including the stretching ones.
Stretching must be comfortable for us, and it must not represent an uncomfortable effort or pain. If we exercise properly and the pain still persists, its cause should be discovered and eliminated.
Functional block – caution
We must be able to differentiate an outstretched muscle from the wrist block, because both of them have similar symptoms – the inability to make complete or full movements. This is why it is necessary to test the wrist and make sure that it is mobile in all physiological directions, after which it can be concluded whether the problem is in the shortened (outstretched) muscle.
The term mobility refers to the wrist which can be physiologically mobile, have limited mobility, or be completely immobile. Wrists can be completely immobile, such as in the case of the functional block, which can occur because of a clumsy movement. Such wrong move can cause block and pain, due to the occurrence of the wrist’s functional block in between the vertebrae, which in turn causes pressure on the nerve and brings trouble – the muscle becomes spastic or in a cramp, in which case no form of stretching will help.
On the contrary, stretching can even make it worse, but the mobilization of the exact part will surely help. Even though this might sound unusual, but this is a common mistake in stretching that can lead to an injury because, even though stretching is enforced, the wrist does not allow movement for some reason.
However, when we instruct a person to bend forward (with the legs stretched at the knees) and we want this person to touch the ground with his or her fingers, but he or she can’t do it (as a general rule, he or she will bend the knees and arch the lower back normally), then the problem is not in the vertebrae wrists, but in the insufficiently stretched back part of the thigh. In that case, we will stretch the muscles of the back part of the thigh.
When to stretch muscles
The case of the outstretched muscle is very common in physical therapy, and it occurs as a consequence of the cerebral paralysis, for example, or some other brain damages, in which, due to the central damage, muscle spasms and their consequential contractions occur. For the relaxation of these spastic muscles, various neurological physical therapy techniques are used (Bobath concept, for example), which relax the muscle in other ways rather than through the stretching exercises.
The cases in which stretching is used are the muscle contractions which usually occur after the partial muscle or tendon rapture, wrist trauma, or long-term immobility. Before stretching, it is desirable to prepare the muscle with a gentle massage (frictional or functional, for example), when certain movements encourage the increased blood flow in a certain muscle.
Athletes and recreational athletes should definitely stretch before and after the training, because stretching prepares the muscle for more intensive effort before, and relaxes it after the training. It is important to know that regular and correct stretching prevents more than 50 percent of injuries, of which the most common ones are the muscle ruptures that happen precisely because of the insufficient mobility and preparedness of the muscle.
Unfortunately, the most common answer that athletes provide after sustaining an injury is that they did not have enough time to stretch. This only confirms that stretching is important and everybody should find the time to do it.