Trigger Point Therapy - So what are the Benefits of Stretching?

3. Reduced Post-Exercise Muscle Soreness

We have all experienced what happens when we go for a run or to the gym for the first time in a few months. The following day our muscles are tight, sore, and stiff, and it is usually hard to even walk down a flight of stairs. This soreness that usually accompanies strenuous physical activity is often referred to as “post-exercise muscle soreness.”

This soreness is the result of micro tears (minute tears within the muscle fibers), blood pooling, and accumulated waste products, such as lactic acid.

Stretching, as part of an effective cool-down, helps to alleviate this soreness by lengthening the individual muscle fibers, increasing blood circulation, and removing waste products.

4. Reduced Fatigue

Fatigue is a major problem for everyone, especially those who exercise: it results in a decrease in both physical and mental performance. Increased flexibility through stretching can help prevent the effects of fatigue by taking pressure off the working muscles (the agonists).

For every muscle in the body there is an opposite or opposing muscle (the antagonist). If the opposing muscles are more flexible, the working muscles do not have to exert as much force against them. Therefore each movement of the working muscles actually takes less effort.

Added Benefits

Along with the benefits listed above, a regular stretching program will also help to improve posture, develop body awareness, improve coordination, promote circulation, increase energy, and improve relaxation and stress relief.

Stretching and Trigger Points

There are simply too few studies to prove the connection between stretching and trigger points. However, most trigger point professionals agree that stretching is likely to help prevent the development of trigger points, and will usually help dissipate active trigger points as part of a hands-on treatment program.

A muscle fiber that has been contracted due to trigger points has “muscle memory” and will want to return to the contracted condition if it is not “retrained”. Stretching is typically recommended  to “retrain” the affected muscle to stay lengthened to it’s natural resting state, especially in the early stages of treatment.   

This trigger point therapy blog is intended to be used for information purposes only and is not intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment or to substitute for a medical diagnosis and/or treatment rendered or prescribed by a physician or competent healthcare professional. This information is designed as educational material, but should not be taken as a recommendation for treatment of any particular person or patient. Always consult your physician if you think you need treatment or if you feel unwell.