Stretching to achieve your toes was a typical every day warmup in our childhood PE courses. That mentioned, as adults, it may be more durable to get round to stretching or know the way to do it appropriately.
Nevertheless, stretching has a number of advantages past feeling oh-so-good on these tight muscle tissues. Which may be one motive extra persons are turning to “stretch remedy”—aka, getting knowledgeable that can assist you stretch out.
“Assisted stretch remedy has elevated in recognition these previous few years,” says Thomas Pontinen, MD, doctor and co-founder of Midwest Anesthesia and Ache Specialists. “After we’re speaking about stretch remedy, it’s typically referring to therapeutic providers that assist people stretch extra successfully and safely.”
It’s a part of a shifting development towards restoration: Almost half of People say stretching and restorative yoga are essential to them, per a 2023 Mindbody report.
In reality, stretching class reservations at gyms elevated 91 p.c in 2023 from the earlier 12 months—and stretching studio franchise StretchLab opened its four-hundredth studio in November 2023 (and had agreements in place for 900 extra studios as of early 2024), stories CNN.
Right here’s what to know in regards to the observe earlier than you signal as much as get stretched.
What’s stretch remedy?
Briefly, stretch remedy is when a skilled specialist helps you stretch your muscle tissues in particular methods.
“Not like conventional stretching you may do by yourself, stretch remedy is commonly extra structured and tailor-made to your particular wants,” says Eva Lassey, DPT, physician of bodily remedy and founder and CEO of DrSensory.
It might assist with a number of musculoskeletal points, per NASA, which presents stretch remedy as a part of its Starport quality-of-life program for workers. These points might embody:
- Tight muscle tissues
- Lack of mobility
- Poor flexibility
- Ache
Stretch remedy can even increase your bodily consciousness by serving to you higher perceive your physique, limitations, and correct motion patterns.
“It may be used to treatment restricted tissue motion, joint imbalances, and comparable considerations that place somebody in danger for damage,” says Brittany Ferri, PhD, an occupational therapist with the Nationwide Council on Getting older.
If you happen to assume that sounds a bit like bodily remedy, you’re not flawed—however there are some distinct variations.
Whereas stretching is commonly part of bodily remedy, they’re not the identical, Dr. Ferri says. That’s as a result of bodily therapists sometimes have extra in depth coaching than stretch therapists, which they use to deal with well being circumstances that will contain decreases in movement, flexibility, power, coordination, and extra.
Many bodily therapists provide stretching along with therapeutic workouts, affected person schooling, neuromuscular re-education, gait coaching, ache administration modalities, and extra based mostly on the affected person’s considerations and priorities.
The advantages of stretch remedy
Conserving your muscle tissues limber, basically, comes with a number of perks. In reality, greater flexibility scores have been linked to a decrease danger of early loss of life in a 2024 examine within the Scandinavian Journal of Medication & Science in Sports activities.
“Stretching will increase circulation and might expedite muscle restoration and joint well being, as a result of blood carries the vitamins that hold tissues wholesome,” Dr. Pontinen says. “It additionally will increase bodily vary of movement and reduces muscular pressure.”
It’s potential that stretching with an knowledgeable can assist you make the most of these advantages, in case you wouldn’t usually achieve this by yourself.
“Stretching has many identified advantages, however assisted stretching could make these advantages extra accessible,” Dr. Pontinen provides. “Having an knowledgeable to information you thru every step is a superb instrument for protecting your stretches protected and efficient.”
With a stretch therapist, you may additionally have the ability to carry out stretches with extra depth, persistence, and precision—taking you past fundamental toe touches or arm raises. A therapist additionally has the data that can assist you goal the appropriate muscle tissues based mostly in your distinctive wants.
“Once you search an knowledgeable’s assist for stretch remedy moderately than going it alone, it’s also possible to profit from improved data about your physique’s mechanisms and the way to hearken to bodily indicators of ache and discomfort,” Dr. Ferri says.
Drawbacks of stretch remedy
Analysis has but to again up lots of the advantages of investing in assisted stretching for general well being, particularly when in comparison with common, average bodily exercise, per Harvard Medical Faculty.
Whereas deeper stretching might be useful for many who take part in sports activities like dance or gymnastics that require an excessive amount of flexibility, stretching studios might not be vital for the on a regular basis individual. If you happen to’re only a bit stiff, merely working towards yoga or tai chi might provide help to really feel extra limber.
There are additionally sure bodily drawbacks of stretch remedy in comparison with different modalities like bodily remedy.
“Whereas stretch remedy focuses on flexibility and vary of movement, it might not be sufficient to handle underlying points corresponding to muscle imbalances, power ache, or severe accidents, which can require a extra complete strategy like bodily remedy,” Dr. Lassey says.
It additionally comes with the potential danger of overstretching, which might result in accidents like strains or sprains—so it’s necessary to discover a therapist who understands your physique and distinctive wants.
Remember the fact that you’ll have to see a stretch therapist repeatedly to see outcomes.
“Common classes could be costly, and the prices can add up over time, particularly in case you’re seeing a specialised therapist,” Dr. Lassey provides. “Stretch remedy requires an everyday dedication to see long-term advantages, which might not be possible for everybody.”
“Stretching has many identified advantages, however assisted stretching could make these advantages extra accessible. Having an knowledgeable to information you thru every step is a superb instrument for protecting your stretches protected and efficient.” —Thomas Pontinen, MD
Value and insurance coverage protection
The value of stretch remedy varies by supplier. “Stretch remedy sometimes prices between $50 and $150 per hour, relying on the place you reside and the therapist’s expertise,” Dr. Ferri says.
Some stretch studios might provide reductions for a number of classes or preliminary consultations at a decrease fee, which can be useful in case your insurance coverage doesn’t cowl it (which is prone to be the case).
“Insurance coverage normally doesn’t cowl stretch remedy, although some plans may embody it beneath various medication advantages,” Dr. Ferri says.
Verify along with your insurance coverage firm to see if they provide any protection. Some insurance coverage might also cowl your stretch remedy if it is a part of a broader bodily remedy program prescribed by a health care provider, Dr. Lassey provides.
Discover stretch remedy close to you
Go-to on-line directories like Zocdoc, Healthgrades, and Yelp can assist information you to native stretch therapists or studios providing stretch remedy. Nevertheless, learn opinions and testimonials fastidiously to get perception into the standard of providers.
“I’d name and ask for a spot to share details about credentials, along with what makes them particular versus the competitors,” Dr. Pontinen says.
Verify what expertise the stretch therapists have at a given studio or health club. As an illustration, some might obtain a selected variety of hours of hands-on coaching, have train science levels or yoga certifications, and even carry bodily remedy levels, per the College of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
Your present healthcare crew might also have recommendations for stretch therapists or facilities.
“Ask your major care doctor, bodily therapist, or health coach for suggestions,” Dr. Lassey says. “Many gyms, yoga studios, and wellness facilities additionally provide stretch remedy as a part of their providers.”
Backside line: Is stretch remedy best for you?
If you happen to’re in search of guided assist in bettering your flexibility, easing muscle pressure, or boosting your athletic efficiency for sports activities like dance, stretch remedy could be helpful (simply be ready to cowl it out of pocket). Nevertheless, in case you’re experiencing power ache, recovering from an damage, or coping with a selected situation, it’s higher to seek the advice of a bodily therapist or your physician first.
