Transform Pain With Stretching
How stretching addresses pain at a root cause level.
You don’t need me to tell you that stretching feels good. It’s instinctual for just about every living creature that has a spine. Thats why we see animals and children do it reflexively to reset their system after resting.
But as modern humans living in a technological world we’ve become rather numb to our instinctual body cues, and instead have learned to live with perpetual background discomfort. While our dogs and cats actively stretch out about 40 to 50 times a day, we stay hunched over a computer screen for hours at a time.
It usually takes a chronic pain issue to get us more serious about stretching.
So the question is - does stretching actually relieve pain? And what’s the best way to achieve that?
The science of stretching.
Although I exclusively practice natural medicine, I nonetheless have a deep respect for science. So I always look at the current research whenever I am investigating a health topic. And most of the time the science confirms what I already know through experience.
Thats very much the case with the science behind stretching. The research provides an inside view of why stretching, at a molecular level, relieves pain and simply feels so darn good.
Unravelling pain.
Contemporary pain science has revealed an important truth in recent years - pain has the potential to create more pain, unless we address it at the root cause level.
When we have an acute pain experience, the local area becomes highly sensitized. This forces us into a protective mode, where we stiffen up and limit our range of motion. In the short term, this provides a safe container in which to heal. But if we don’t address the underlying issue causing the pain in the first place, the sensitivity might never fully resolve. It can smoulder quietly in the background.
This lingering sensitivity creates chronic tension and compensatory patterns, that lead to a broader web of imbalances across the body.
Stretching is one key way of addressing pain at a root cause level.
As a primal healing behaviour it helps us restore our range of motion, reduce tension, and improve posture. Stretching plays a big role in keeping our connective tissue, spine, and joints fluid and mobile, so that we can adapt to a variety of stressors. This is precisely why the vast majority of vertebrates stretch frequently, and on a daily basis.
So thats the macro level of how stretching relieves pain, but what’s happening at the micro level?
The chemistry of stretch.
This is where things get really interesting.
According to the science, stretching irrigates our tissue with a fresh supply blood, lymph, and extracellular fluid. And this is where all the magic happens. Both lymph and blood work to clean up irritating metabolic waste and inflammatory byproducts that contribute to pain, and help to break the cycle of pain sensitivity.
Research shows that stretching reduces the level of circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines at both a local and systemic level. The evidence across multiple studies are conclusive - stretching has a broadly anti-inflammatory effect.
Let’s talk about collagen.
With improved circulation from stretching, the tissues are oxygenated, and that speeds up tissue repair and the formation of new collagen. You know that expensive supplement everyones talking about?
Regular stretching slows down the inevitable loss of collagen as we age.
Research focused on the fascial response to stretch show an increased production of hyaluronan, a substrate found in the extracellular matrix, which lubricates the fascial web and also promotes the synthesis of new collagen.
In studies involving articular cartilage, stretching not only led to new collagen production but reduced cartilage degradation as well. Performing a full range of stretch movements will not only improve lubrication of the tissue, but of the spine and joints as well. This can have a very protective effect on both rheumatoid and osteoarthritis.
A primal healing behaviour.
So in layman’s terms, we can think of stretching as a natural therapy that lubricates the musculoskeletal system, replenishing the life giving fluids that reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, repair damage and stimulate the growth of new tissue.
And it’s for these reasons, stretching is a primal healing behaviour that addresses pain at a root cause level.
How to stretch effectively.
According to the College of American Sports Medicine stretching is ideally done every single day. And I couldn’t agree more, which is why I do exactly that.
That might sound a little shocking if you are not already in the habit of stretching. But if we attune to our instinctual body, it would feel as natural as grooming ourselves everyday.
Stretching can be incorporated into work breaks and workout sessions.
It can also be a practice of its own that you weave into your weekly self-care routine. When you stretch daily you are giving yourself permission to recover on a daily basis. Thats the new mindset. Everyday that we experience stress, we also make space for recovery. Even if its for 15 minutes.
Stretching is a relaxation habit. A brief moment to slow down, be more mindful, and more attentive to our health needs. It’s both prevention and therapy all in one.
What’s the best method?
Every expert will give you a different opinion open what the best way to stretch is. What I have learned from 35 years of practicing yoga, is that diversity is key. Your practice should evolve as you do. There is no one right way. Start with what inspires you and with what you feel you can do.
Work with the principle of diversity and avoid moving your body in the same way month after month, year after year. This way you prevent repetitive motion strain and you introduce new challenges.
This is the safest and most effective long-term approach to stretching.
The limitations of yoga.
I began my mobility practice with yoga, and that has served as a solid foundation for me. Up until I injured myself. Few practitioners talk about it but the vast majority of long-term yoga practitioners injure themselves at some point. If you scratch beneath the surface, you might find out that the yoga teacher whose classes you love, has a hamstring pull or meniscus tear. I learned from my injuries, and adapted my practice to include a broader range of movements.
Yoga like any physical discipline has incredible benefits, as well as limitations.
It teaches you how to breath and find balance within beautiful full-body extensions. But it also involves excessive hip hinging, and at times extreme demands on the spine, wrists, and knees, that frequently lead to sports injuries. And this phenomenon is a going concern in within orthopaedic medicine circles.
The new anatomy of stretching.
There are many mobility disciplines to learn from. If your practice is not yielding you the results you were hoping for, its is a sign that it’s time to branch out into a new approach.
My mobility routine is currently inspired by the concept of tensegrity, in which all individual parts of our anatomy float within an interconnected tensional web. So if my shoulder feels sore, I stretch the entire myofacial web connected to my shoulder.
I no longer emphasize isolated stretches.
I have found they are less impactful on healing and recovery, and may even exacerbate pain.
I have developed movements based on Tom Myers Anatomy Trains and the four primary myofascial slings to stretch out in multiple planes of movement, with diagonal and rotating patterns, that release fascial tension and decompress the spine.
