Benefits of Stretching for Back Pain

Are there benefits of stretching for back pain?

The National Health Service (NHS) in the UK thinks so... In fact, they offer a wide range of stretching tips to help alleviate back pain. Though, they also mention that bad posture accounts for a wide range of issues.

What exactly does stretching your body do, and how does it help?

When we scrunch up, or don’t move around enough, our muscles don’t get the regular circulation and oxygen that’s so good for them. What happens is you end up forming a “knot” or tension, that causes pain.

The best way to picture what a knot looks like is to consider your muscle fibers look like a bunch of pieces of string. Now, take that handful of strings and dip them into a batch of glue. When you pull them out, the glue dries and hardens.

What does this have to do with your back? Do you know how the strings could move about more freely prior to the glue? Now, they’re all stuck together in one clump. That’s sort of what’s going on inside of your body. Your muscles have tightened up into what we call a “knot” – and you’re not getting proper circulation to the area.

That’s why stretching is critical when it comes to helping back and muscle pain. What you’re doing is helping break up this tense area. This loosens the knot, and the pain dissipates. When we don’t see what’s happening inside our bodies, and only feel it, it can be hard to understand why we need to do something like stretch on a regular basis.

Your muscles are tight. By doing gentle stretching, you’re putting elasticity back into the fibers that desperately need it. Ever seen a dry rubber band? If you pull at it, it snaps. The elasticity is gone.

Stretching allows your body to remain in a healthy state, keeps your circulation flowing to the areas that need it, and alleviate pain. It’s a habit that’s worth investing your time into. The great thing about stretching is anybody can do it. You don’t need to join a fancy gym or buy the latest exercise equipment. Be sure to start today to keep your body in better health.