Flexibility
What is flexibility?
Flexibility is a property of our bodies that determines the range of motion we are able to move through without injury. This can involve the movement of one type of joint, or a combination of joints.
Flexibility is something that we don't often realise is becoming an issue. Our modern lifestyles, even if we believe them to be active, often-times involve long periods of sitting in non-natural positions - like in a chair or on the toilet - which is so far removed from what our bodies evolved to deal with and ultimately leads to the degredation of our joints and tightening of our tendons - which are what attach muscles to bones - our ligaments - which attach bones to other bones - and our muscles - which contract to allow us to move. The old addage: "if you don't use it, you lose it!" is very apt here. Our bodies do not keep something it does not need.
As we must live like this in our modern world, the majority of us do not realise that our joints are unable to move through their true intended range of motion, simply accept things the way they are, and attribute any pain or stiffness to us 'getting older'. While our body naturaly degrades we get older, the majority of health issues and injuries are entirely preventable by preemptive action such as stretching and exercise.
Issues associated with a lack of flexibility
Our joints are where bones meet and move over eachother, allowing us to move. The ends of our bones are covered in articular cartilage, which is a spongy material that allows for compression, force distribution and pain-free movement as it protects the ends of bones from grinding against eachother. Cartilage is always being broken down and that is normal, but our body heals and replaces it at a rate that is faster than we can degrade it. It is simply a wearable component to our bodies. Between the cartilage of bones is synovial fluid within a synovial membrane, that lubricates the cartilage. If the joint does not get moved through its full range of motion, then the cartilage, to a certain degree, 'dries out' (not literally, but it does not get the full lubrication necessary for proper health) as it is not getting lubricated as it should be. This leads to cartilage becoming inflexible & stiff and causes degraded functionality and pain.
The stiffness we feel due to a lack of flexibility makes normal movement harder - quite literally. Our muscles have to exert more force to stretch themselves and the tendons when attempting to move. Moving therefore takes more effort and energy. Humans don't like doing difficult things - why would we? It's difficult! - so we are less likely to enjoy, or even want to move. This only compounds and exacerbates a lack of flexibility and the issues it causes.
We are not perfectly symmetrical creatures. We all favour one side of our body for most things; almost all of us are right or left side dominant, with the exception of a tiny minority. Not only that, we all have ways of doing things, for example some people may prefer to sleep on their left, or when sitting may prefer to put their left leg over their right leg when crossing their legs etc. There are countless examples of these little intricacies to us and they cause different muscles, tendons and ligaments on either side of our bodies to stiffen at different rates. This will often throw our movement out of alignment. Take for example one of the most common issues people face: gluteus maximus stiffness. The glutes are our bum muscles and they play a major role in walking. If one is stiffer than the other then our walk will be out of alignment and our biomechanics are not moving through their intended path. This causes a cascade of imbalances throughout our legs and back, compounding and exacerbating once again further issues throughout our bodies and leads to the improper use of our joints and muscles. Ultimately leading to uneven wear in our cartilage and the improper movement of ligaments, and you guessed it: pain!
Our range of motion and our biomechanics are incredibly important for pain-free, easy movement.
Even though not every issue associated with a lack of flexibility is noted here, it is plain to see and only logical that when we lack what I would refer to as a normal, necessary, 'natural range of motion' for what the human body evolved for, it will cause a cascade of problems that will cause symptoms of (and often lead to) health conditions such as arthritis and tendonitis. Not only that, but you increase your risk of injury from normal every-day movement such as muscle strains & tears or dislocations etc.
How we can improve our flexibility
We don't need to be as flexible as a gymnast or a contortionist, but we do need to have a basic level of flexibility that will afford us ease of movement and reduce the risk of injury.
The main things we should target are the main pivots of the body: the hip girdle. The back, the hamstrings, quadriceps, the gluteal muscles and the internal psoas muscles all anchor to the hip girdle. It is the body's main pivot point and if we have flexibility at this region then we will have an amazing amount of extra mobility and a better quality of life. Think about it: when we get up from the bed, or a chair, what is usually stiff? The lower back, our knees, our hips... Below are several important stretches and movements we should all be able to achieve to become a more functional human being:
Touching your toes
Being able to touch your toes is undoubtedly the most pivotal thing that you could ever do for yourself in terms of mobility and flexibility. If you are able to rest your palms on the floor with straight legs then there isn't really much more need to become any more flexible than that (ofcourse it can't hurt!). To do this, it takes time. As a disclaimer, this will hurt to begin with. Don't worry however, this is normal and that pain soon dissipates as you become more flexible. Infact, stretching then even becomes pleasurable! You just need to push through the pain for the first few times doing this. It is simply non-negotiable, and years of stiffness will soon be released. I am not saying you need to be screaming in agony, but in comparison to how stretching will feel in a few weeks, this will be painful.
So, with your legs straight, bend forward. Keep your spine straight (neutral) and slowly lean forward (with your hands on a wall or object such as a table for the time being if need be) until you feel a stretch in the back of your legs. You don't need to push it just yet, just feel a stretch and allow gravity to do the work.
You will feel yourself very slowly sinking deeper and deeper as your muscles and tendons loosen. Now get up, and do it again. If you feel too much pain, raise yourself and slowly lower yourself again. We are not trying to overdo it, but you need to feel a stretch. Be patient. This is all about taking our time and letting our tendons and muscles do what they need to do. We cannot rush this, so try to enjoy the process and remember to breathe calmly and deeply. This is as much about letting go as it is increasing your flexibility. So breathe.
Once you have done another minute, get up, and do it again. Stretching is not about only taking 20 seconds, it's about allowing your muscles and tendons all the time they need to genuinely improve their ability to lengthen effectively. 4 or 5 minutes is probably enough for the first day. If you are patient and calm and allow yourself the time to fall nicely into this stretch, you will definitely see a noticeable difference from where you were when you first started today. You will likely be sore the next day, but that is good - it's working!
Continue to do this, day in and day out. When you are able, increase the force of the stretch by pulling downwards towards your toes, either using your knees/calves to hold on to or an object close to you like a table. Once you can reach your toes you can then begin to use your toes are a handle! You can also begin to bend your back a little further as you progress, too, which will increase spine flexibility as well as your hamstrings. This fundamental stretch will see you being able to touch your toes and it will add unprecedented amounts of mobility to your life. The positions I am in in the images below took me months of work to be able to get in to.
Sphinx Stretch / Stretching your back
Touching your toes is great for spinal flexibility in one direction, but we must be sure to flex the other way also. The Sphinx stretch is a great way to increase your spine flexibility in the other direction.
This one is simple, and thankfully the pain is not nearly as nasty as when you try to touch your toes for the first time. Lay on the floor, and slowly, while keeping your thighs on the floor, lift yourself up so your back is flexed (see picture to the right) backwards. Again, just do what you can. The spine is a body part you should always be careful with, so when you feel a stretch, sit in it just under the discomfort level until you are able to go further. Again, take your time, this is no rush. There isn't really a need to do this stretch for as long as the previous or the next, because pushing your spine too much is probably not the best thing to do, so hold this for 40 or so seconds and do it only once more. I have only incorporated this stretch in to my routine in the last few months, so I am still practicing this one.
Quadriceps stretch
The quadriceps (thigh muscles) are the second largest muscle in the body after the gluteus maximus, so are another main muscle to stretch and will cause a cascade of stiffness and pain if we allow them to get tight. There are several stretches we can do as we progress with quad flexibility, so here I will mention only the most basic for us to get started.
Nice and easy, lift your foot up behind you and hold your foot. Pull it towards your bum until you feel a stretch. Again, take it slowly and pull your leg so that you feel discomfort but not actual pain (unlike when initially trying to touch your toes), and allow your muscles to lengthen. Do this with both legs for 1 minute each and repeat the process 3 or 4 times. If you are unable to reach your foot with your hand that is totally fine, simply place it on an object like a chair behind you and lower yourself while supporting yourself until you feel a stretch in your thigh.
As you progress, you can begin to perform stretches that require a little more flexibility, as shown below in the third image.
Gluteus Maximus stretch
The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the body. We use it every day for walking or any general movement that involves us propelling ourselves. We use it when we run, walk, cycle etc. It pulls our leg behind our body. We also sit on it alot, so bloody supply is often impeded to it. The simplest stretch for the glutes are to side straight legged on the floor, to pull one leg over the other so the soul of your foot is on the floor just above the outside of your opposing knee, and then pull your knee towards you. You will feel a stretch in your bum - the glutes! Hold this and pull your knee towards your chest slowly. Keep your back straight. If you feel a pinching in your hip back off a little and straighten up your back again and begin to bring your knee towards you slowly again. Do this the same as the others - for a minute each, 3 or 4 times.
The above are four very important and fundamental stretches you can do to improve your health and mobility in only a few days and weeks. The amount you will progress with a bit of effort really is life-changing. You should begin with these fundamental stretches, and then you can add in other stretches for other body parts, like your neck, shoulders, latimus dorsi muscles, obliques, calves etc. The above are purely to get you moving and are in no way an exhaustive list. They are a great road that you can use to begin your journey into the world of stretching. And what a journey it is!
