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Stretching Mistakes That Could Be Making Pain Worse · The Dohnal Health Minute

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  Hey there, and welcome back. I'm Dr. Chris Donnell
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  with Donnell Chiropractic here in Nashville.
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  And today, we're talking about something that
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  surprises a lot of people. We're talking about
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  stretching. Specifically, the stretching mistakes
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  that might actually be making your pain worse
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  instead of better. Now, I know what you're thinking.
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  Stretching is good for you, right? And yes, in
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  general, movement and flexibility are really
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  important. But here's the thing. Not all stretching
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  is created equal. And I see people come into
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  my office all the time who have been stretching
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  faithfully every single day and they're still
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  hurting. Sometimes they're hurting more. So let's
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  talk about why that happens. The first big mistake
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  I see is people stretching through sharp pain.
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  There's a difference between a gentle pulling
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  sensation, which is normal, and actual pain.
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  If you're stretching your lower back or your
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  hamstrings and you feel a sharp shooting or burning
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  sensation, that is your body telling you to stop.
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  That's not a no pain no gain situation. That's
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  a signal. Pushing through that kind of discomfort
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  can actually irritate the nerve, inflame the
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  tissue, and make the underlying problem worse.
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  So the rule is simple. Mild tension is okay.
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  Pain is not. The second mistake is bouncing during
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  a stretch. This one goes back a long way and
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  a lot of people still do it. You've probably
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  seen it at the gym. Someone bending forward and
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  kind of rocking into it. That's called ballistic
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  stretching, and for most people dealing with
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  everyday pain or tightness, it's not the move.
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  When you bounce, you trigger something called
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  the stretch reflex. Your muscle actually contracts
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  to protect itself. So instead of getting looser,
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  you're fighting against your own body. Hold your
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  stretches steady and slow instead. Aim for around
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  20 to 30 seconds. Let the muscle ease into it.
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  Here's what's interesting. The third mistake
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  is one most people never even think about. They're
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  stretching the wrong thing entirely. If your
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  lower back is tight and achy, your first instinct
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  might be to stretch your back. And sometimes
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  that helps. But a lot of the time, tight hips
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  and hamstrings are the real culprit pulling on
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  the lower back. If you're only stretching the
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  back and ignoring the hips, you're addressing
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  the symptom and not the source. The same goes
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  for neck pain. Tight chest muscles and a rounded
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  upper back can create a forward head position
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  that puts a ton of strain on the neck. Stretching
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  just the neck without addressing the shoulders
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  and chest leaves half the problem untouched.
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  So what can you start doing today? First, pay
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  attention to the quality of what you feel when
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  you stretch. Tension is fine. Pain means back
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  off. Second, slow it down. No bouncing. Hold
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  each stretch gently and breathe through it. Third,
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  think about the whole picture. If your neck or
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  back hurts, ask yourself what's connected to
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  it and stretch those areas too. Now here's when
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  I'd really encourage you to come in and see us.
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  If you've been stretching consistently and you're
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  still not getting relief or if your pain is getting
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  worse, that's a sign that something else might
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  be going on. Sometimes there's a joint that's
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  not moving correctly or a nerve that's being
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  compressed or a muscle imbalance that stretching
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  alone just can't fix. That's where we can help.
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  A thorough evaluation lets us figure out exactly
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  what's happening and build a plan that actually
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  works for your body. We are right here in Nashville
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  and we would love to help you feel better and
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  move better. If you want to schedule a visit
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  or just ask a question, you can reach out to
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  us through our website or give us a call. We're
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  always happy to talk. Thanks so much for tuning
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  in today. I'm Dr. Chris Donald at Donald Chiropractic
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  and we'll catch you on the next episode. Take
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  care of yourselves Nashville.