| Arthritis, bulging and/or ruptured discs are frequently present with no discomfort or pain. Current research finds that many types of stretching impair active force production of a muscle for up to 24 hours after stretching. This would increase the risk for injury. Exercise can contribute to the muscular dysfunction that leads to compensation, bursitis, tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, osteoarthritis, leg length discrepancy, back pain, etc. An individual’s structure is predetermined and therefore dictates what it will and will not tolerate. Injuries are an indication that you have exceeded your body’s limits. Joint and muscle pain, tightness and stiffness are indications that something is wrong, but the absence of these symptoms does not guarantee that your joints and muscles are operating efficiently or maximally. The body will only allow what it can control. Muscle tightness and/or pain may be the only thing preventing you from a serious injury. Most “corrective exercises” contribute to the compensations they are attempting to resolve. Long term aggressive passive stretching contributes to chronic muscle tightness and leads to bone spurs, tendonitis, and reduced force distribution on the contact surfaces of the joint (too much force in one area leads to arthritic changes). The location of the pain on your body often indicates the muscles that are overworked. The site of the problem, in many cases, is not an area with pain or discomfort. The most important part of an exercise plan is joint health, not “cardio”. Forces enter the body through the bones and are transmitted to the joints. The muscles fire to control the joints in response to the forces. The heart pumps blood to the muscles based on the demand. No force on the bones, no increased demand on the heart. The IT Band is made of a stretch resistant material. Its primary job is to transmit forces between the upper and lower body. Any stretch in the material would decrease its accuracy. DID YOU KNOW? Do you know that professional athletes like John Elway, John Stockton, and Bill Romanowski have been treated by Greg Roskopf, the developer of Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT), and have given testimonials on their remarkable results and the power of MAT? |
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