Does it feel hopeless that you cannot stop the pain from happening over and over? Have you tried everything or even been told, "there was nothing they could do for you?" Many of my clients have been right where you are! The truth is, many health professionals and trainers have taught how to treat symptoms without fixing the cause. Most physicians, therapists, and trainers will recommend stretching to try to stop your pain. The problem is, the stretching they recommend does not work for the simple reason it is strength training. You see, holding stretches for more than 5 seconds when in pain triggers the brain to contract your muscle. This now strength training and will make matters worse. Many trainers and therapists think that if you feel weak, you need to strength train and get stronger. Many times the weakness comes from a lack of flexibility and your muscles just cannot push you forward. Everyone is trying to help, but they just don't know how.
The missing piece in stretching is the mind-body connection. You may have heard yoga people talk about it, but do you know what that means? Your muscles are more emotional than physical. Think about the last time you were stressed and how tight you felt. Just your thoughts caused your muscles to contract and create pain in your neck or back. If you try to stretch without letting go of the anticipation of pain, you are tightening your muscles and making the situation worse. Once you have felt pain and try to move in the same way again, the brain, fearing the pain, will contract the muscle to protect you, automatically. This can make the pain worse.
The secret to stretching is to breathe out as you stretch the muscle and do not use a lot of pressure. We are trying to force the muscle to stretch, but let it go. When dealing with pain, never hold a stretch for more than 5 seconds to prevent the brain from triggering a contraction in anticipation of the pain. Repeat the stretch 10 times, each time letting the muscle relax more and more.
I have a series of stretches for every part of your body. Contact me for a free 30-minute consultation and see what we can do to help you out of pain.

Public Speaker and author

Trainer at: The Muscle Repair Shop