Should you Stretch?

Stretching seems to be a natural, healthy thing to do –or at least that is what we learn at a young age.  You hear people say, “Stretch first.”

Let’s examine the evidence for this practice, though.  Typically, people stretch
because they want more flexibility or they “feel” tight.  The key question is WHY do they feel tight?  Consider that the body will
only allow for movement it can control.  In other words, the brain will cause muscle compensation so control and stability
can be maintained.  Remember, muscle compensation often results in the stronger muscles working harder. This can
result in “tightness”.  Looking at the situation through the eyes of someone who understands compensation and neuromuscular
health, we can see that the “tight” muscles are usually working just fine, in fact, they are working too hard to compensate for the other muscles.  If that is the case, passive stretching can actually cause joint instability and less control!  Even worse, passive stretching to get “rid of the tightness” can cause you to temporarily fool the body into thinking you can achieve a range of motion that cannot be sustained. When that happens, you are actually making yourself less stable, and less in control of your balance, which puts you at risk for an injury such as a pulled muscle, injured joints, twisted ankles, knees, wrists, etc.