Frequent stretching has many health benefits, such as helping you become more flexible, heal faster, or aid in injury recovery. Read our blog to learn more details.

The First Three Days After The Injury

The most effective primary treatment for soft tissue injuries is RICER, which stands for rest, ice, compression, elevation, and referral for proper treatment. You should use RICER right away after your injury because studies show that this helps shorten healing time. It provides the early foundation of your injury recovery.
During this stage of your rehabilitation, you must not perform any stretching. Your tissues are still damaged during this time. They need to heal, and you need to prevent more injury to the area. RICE is the treatment you must focus on first.

The Following 10 To 14 Days

At this time, the swelling will have gone down. This is the right time to start gentle therapy techniques. Massage and heat therapy can loosen and soothe the area. Gentle passive and static exercises can come after. These treatments can improve your healing:

• Passive stretching helps increase the stretching of your muscles. The force is greater, so it may be a little risky. Using a stable and solid apparatus is important. There should be no bouncy or jerky movements
• Static stretching is when you place your body in a position in which your muscles can stretch out under tension. The muscles can stretch out and relax in a gradual manner. Your provider can hold the position to let the muscles tighten

The stretching must be gentle during this period. It is also advisable not to use the injured area for any activity. There will be some discomfort, but you must not push the activity too much. If you do, you will only feel pain. This will not be good for your recovery.

The Next Two To Five Weeks

The goal at this time is to regain your fitness. You must get back your balance and strength, as well as your coordination and flexibility. You can only make a full recovery by completing this phase. Your chiropractor will provide you with corrective exercises and a plan that can help you get back to an optimal state of health.
Some of the stretches prescribed will improve your circulation. It will also rearrange the scar fibers, which will help pain start to dissipate. PNF or proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching involves targeted muscle contractions and stretching. It is an effective way to focus on specific muscle groups. PNF stretching can increase your muscular strength and flexibility.

Strength Stretching

There are stretches that you can perform once you recover from your injury. It helps focus on making the area stronger and more flexible even before the injury happens. Here are the stretches that can help accomplish this:

• Active stretching does not need assistance from any outside force. It only needs the strength of the opposing muscles to stretch out the targeted area. The stretched muscles relax when the opposing muscles contract
• Dynamic stretching uses a controlled swinging or bouncing motion to move a specific part of the body. Its aim is to limit its range of motion

Stretching is a valuable part of injury recovery when you start it at the right time. At Sandpiper Family Chiropractic, we help our patients achieve better health through our natural and effective treatments. You can drop by our facility in Port St. Lucie, Florida, for an in-person consultation. Please call 772-380-4611 to set an appointment or ask about our injury treatment packages.