What type of soft tissue limits flexibility

Freshly cooked spaghetti is healthy tissue and leftover cold spaghetti is scar tissue! Which kind of spaghetti do you think functions better? The freshly cooked spaghetti not only tastes better, but it also functions better as the strands muscle and tendon fibers glide over one another with ease. If there are areas of scar tissue trigger points built up within our tissue, flexibility and muscle function will be limited.

There is some controversy as to whether the trigger points form first and contribute to injury, or if injury occurs and as a compensatory result, trigger points form. Either way, keeping the tissue free from trigger points is necessary for injury prevention, injury rehabilitation, and optimal performance.

As you can imagine, the resources in Kenya other than for the elite athletes are quite limited as far as access to doctors, physical therapists, massage therapists, and many of the other healthcare practitioners that we have available to us. The one thing that they do not skimp on is daily soft tissue massage. Whether they are getting a professional massage in their training camp, massing their running partners, or performing self-massage they are finding a way to keep their tissue extensible.

However, the fact that they run so well and relatively injury-free for the amount that they run is no coincidence! Taking the time to work on trigger points will help to break up the scar tissue and encourage blood flow to that area.

The increased blood flow will make the tissue more receptive to any stretch that you are going to place on it. Tissue extensibility relates to tissue flexibility, which is related to the strength and power that your muscles are able to generate. If you have healthy, extensible, flexible muscle, you are going to be able to perform much better than if your muscles are scarred down, hard, and inflexible.

Of course, the hand of a trained massage therapist is the ideal way to increase tissue extensibility. So what else can we do? Unless you have a really awesome running partner that wants to dedicate their time and effort towards your injury prevention hint, hint, running partners!

Active assistive exercises rely on your effort and the effort of another person. This other person is often a physical therapist. Practicing range of motion exercises can greatly increase your flexibility and ease of movement. However, always speak with your doctor before attempting to perform a range of motion exercise for the first time. If someone physically moves or stretches a part of your body for you, that's passive range of motion. You can even do some passive range of motion…. Triamcinolone is a commonly prescribed steroid that comes in many forms: ointment, cream, pills, inhaler, or injectable.

The form you're given will…. Sacroiliac joint dysfunction is a painful condition. It's a common cause of lower back pain. Medications and other treatments are available for….

A recessed maxilla can cause cosmetic issues like flat cheekbones and a prominent jaw, and lead to dental problems, speech issues, and obstructed…. If you do tear a meniscus, you might be tempted to "walk it off. The bony formation of each joint structurally limits the ROM.

For example, the shoulder joint which is structurally a ball-in-socket joint, can rotate in multiple directions. In other words, it has a wide range of motion. However, the knee joint is a modified hinge joint which is limited to essentially a forward-backward direction of movement. Additionally, excessive fat mass surrounding a joint or even large muscle mass may limit the ROM for a particular joint.

Although weight loss could affect amounts of fat mass surrounding a joint, or loss of muscle, joint structure cannot be altered. As a result, little can be done in this area to improve flexibility. Not only is range of motion related to the joint structure, but flexibility exercises are joint-specific. So, a complete stretching program must include multiple stretches for various joints. Joints are surrounded and connected by muscles, tendons, ligaments, and skin. For example, the head of the humerus fits into a small cavity to create the shoulder joint.

The movement of other areas of the body, other than the muscle group being stretched, should be minimized. Maintain a regular breathing pattern when stretching. Stretching will not head off delayed-onset muscle soreness - the kind that generally occurs the day after unaccustomed The debate as to when to perform a stretching routine is controversial. It is generally agreed upon that stretching at the end of an exercise session will greatly benefit you.

Stretching before an exercise session though is generally not recommended unless it is preceded by a 5-minute cardiovascular warm-up. Warming up before stretching increases the blood flow and temperature of the muscles, ligaments and tendons, improving the elasticity and optimal functioning of the muscles and connective tissue.

Stretching when muscles are cold could lead to a strain or pull. Begin each stretch slowly and gently — Stretch to the point of tightness and then just beyond. You should feel pulling or tightness, but not pain. Stay relaxed and do not bounce. Stretching is most often thought of as a way to loosen muscles, but it is also effective in increasing the mobility of all soft tissues that restrict flexibility.