Almost always. Stretching helps soft tissues (muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, fascia) to remain supple, flexible and adaptable to changes in load. This can have a positive effect on joint range of movement and improve your body’s ability to adapt to physically demanding situations.
However, when we consider certain injuries and conditions, we need to be careful! Here are just 10 examples of when stretching should be guided by a healthcare professional…
- Post acute muscle and/or tendon strain.
- Acute spinal issue.
- Nervous system irritation (e.g sciatica).
- Late stage degenerative joint conditions.
- Unexplained pain in the affected area.
- Shoulder impingement.
- Hip impingement.
- Unstable joints (e.g shoulder).
- Osteoporosis.
- Sacroiliac joint dysfunction.
Ronan Crosse
