TL;DR: Adding a functional stretching program with the help of your physical therapist to your current health and workout routines, can help you to continue to crush your goals!
There has been mixed research on the benefits of stretching over time and the overall benefits of it and how long the benefits last for. There are many different types of stretching and there are times that is more beneficial to do those types of stretching compared to other times. For example, a dynamic warm-up stretch is more beneficial to complete prior to a workout, as opposed to a static stretching routine. We will talk about the different types of stretching in another post though!
Right now we are talking about “assisted” or “functional” stretching! Live Without Limits is happy to announce that we are now offering a functional stretching program as an additional wellness service to all new and existing clients! If you have been doing workouts and doing your stretching and foam rolling and overall generally taking care of your health and mobility needs, but you still just don’t feel quite where you want to be, this could be a really good option for you!
We will discuss where you feel your limitations are, if you have any aches and pains, what types of workouts and movements you do, if you have an established mobility routine, and so much more to figure out which stretching patterns will be best for you during your session. Sessions are either 25 min or 50 minutes long, which will be determined at the time of scheduling and based on your needs. Generally speaking, focusing in on areas for longer times and more consistently will help you to get the results you are looking for.
Full disclosure, I agree that stretching is not everything. Why? Because it’s not! Just like with everything else in life, finding the right combination and balance of activities and movements will help you to reach and crush the goals you are looking to.
It’s important to do these types of functional and assisted stretching programs with somebody who has a good, working knowledge of the human body and all of the muscles and joints! For example, a doctor of physical therapy (me!)! Why? Because you don’t want to get hurt. The human body is so unique that it is easy to get hurt when doing things like this, especially if you are working with somebody who doesn’t have as much of a background or training in these types of things. So you want to choose wisely when participating with programs like these - they are not all the same!
If you have more questions, contact me at katie.livewithoutlimits@gmail.com and we can set up a time to talk more about you and your specific needs and if this would be a good fit and good addition to your wellness program with us!
Thanks for being here!
-Dr. Katie
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