The Importance of Stretching
By Dr. Meg Hammond, DVM
We all know that stretching is an extremely important part of the warm up and cool down portion of exercise programs for human athletes. Coaches, trainers, and physical therapists recommend these types of exercises to encourage flexibility, alleviate pain, and decrease the chance of injury, thus improving athletic performance. Whether we are competing our animals in high level competition or we are taking them for a quiet walk, we are asking them to perform a job and we should treat them as athletes!
Muscles and connective tissue in the body shrink and tighten when they are overused (as they are when an animal is in heavy work) and ALSO when they are underused (as they are when an animal is stall or cage rested). Tightness in these tissues results in decreased flexibility of soft tissue and decreased range of motion of joints, which can increase the chance of injury and of premature aging of the musculoskeletal system.
Flexibility is the range of motion in a joint from full flexion to full extension and is influenced by muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones. Full movement of a joint allows proper movement of fluid within the joint, which helps deliver nutrients to the joint and remove waste products.
To maintain suppleness and flexibility, muscles and connective tissue benefit from consistent stretching. Stretching can increase range of motion by increasing the ability of tissue to lengthen with minimal force (called compliance). Compliance is most important during the active phase of muscle contraction, which is when many injuries occur.
Injury often occurs at the muscle-tendon junction. Stretching reduces the stress on the muscle-tendon unit by improving muscle-tendon viscoelasticity. Think of it like this: A tree that bends in a strong wind is unlikely to break. A tree that stands rigid is much more likely to fall.
Benefits of stretching include:
Maintenance of the normal functional length of muscles
Reduction in muscle tension and post workout soreness
Reduction of muscular imbalance (ie left vs right and extensors vs flexors)
Improved joint range of motion
Improved joint health
More regular and even movement
More freedom of movement
Improved body awareness and proprioception
Improved circulation
Improved stability and balance
Decreased risk of injury
Veterinary rehabilitation is not just about helping animals come back from injury. We also focus on conditioning to decrease the chance of injury in the first place, while helping animals reach and maintain peak performance. We would be happy to evaluate your animal and develop a stretching and conditioning program to help you both reach your goals!