This question, or some variation of it, is something I get a lot. There is often a hyper-focus on flexibility as being a super important physical characteristic. Along with that comes a desire to improve flexibility, whether that deficit is real or perceived, usually via stretching muscles or some other limited tissue.

A question that I’ll often ask in response to this is “Why do you want to be more flexible?” or “What do you think being more flexible will help you do that you can’t currently do?” This is an important question to consider, because it’s vital to match-up what one wants to be able to do or accomplish with an evidence-based solution to get the desired outcome. One of the most common beliefs about how to improve flexibility is with stretching, as we often just assume there is a muscular tightness present that is keeping us from moving. This is often accompanied by the belief that if we spend enough time doing the proper stretches, we can make desired changes to our musculoskeletal system. 

It seems that much of our beliefs and dependency on stretching comes from what we learned early in our life from our gym teacher/coach/trainer. Like many things, the reality/truth about things we believed early in our life often changes over time. One of my favorite articles to direct to when people have questions about stretching and flexibility is this one here, by Paul Ingraham: https://www.painscience.com/articles/stretching.php. This article is a perpetual work-in-progress by Ingraham, one that he has had posted for years but updates frequently as new information comes available. The article is essentially a giant literature review of much of the available research on stretching. It is quite a long read, but very interesting and informative, helping to tear down a lot of the beliefs and myths we hold about stretching and flexibility. 

In summary, stretching doesn’t do much at all of what we historically believe. It doesn’t really elongate tissue like we picture in our minds, i.e. if you stretch your hamstrings for long enough, the tissue itself will actually lengthen. It can maybe change your flexibility, but that is probably more related to improving sensory tolerance of the nervous system – meaning you perceive less tightness rather than something actually becoming more elastic – more than anything else. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. And for many people, it just feels good to do, during and/or after the stretching itself (again, not a bad thing). 

However, in the hierarchy of physical and health-related changes that we can make with our time spent exercising, flexibility itself is probably pretty low on the totem pole in terms of importance or benefit. In the limited time that many of us have available during the day to exercise, our focus is much better spent on improving cardiovascular health, and perhaps more importantly, actual muscular strength. Very few people have died because of their lack of flexibility, but cardiovascular issues and negative effects related to muscular weakness claim lives daily. 

In addition, if one is truly inflexible or has a limitation in range of motion, it’s important to note that these limitations are not always just related to muscle tissue. I often see clients that have a complaint of an area feeling tight or restricted. Sometimes there is a limitation in motion, but rather than that being due to tight muscles, it can be related to stiffness in a joint (or even the shape of a joint) or limited nerve/neural mobility. Both of these conditions could actually be exacerbated by traditional stretching, and should be treated differently. 

I also often find that rather than actual tightness being the source of one’s perceived tension, there is very often muscle weakness in the area, creating the same feeling/experience. So many runners I see complain about their tight hamstrings or calves that they feel during or after running. I have no doubt that they feel this sensation of “tightness,” but more often than not I find these tissues to be weaker than they are tighter. Additionally, how much flexibility do you actually need in your calves and hamstrings to do a 5-mile run (answer: not a lot)? On the other hand, your calves, quads, and hamstrings all need to be strong to be the best runner you can be.

This is one of the values of seeing a physical therapist that is up-to-date with current evidence: helping to identify the actual underlying issue that is creating the problem. A good assessment can help determine if there is actual tightness in the area; if so, the patient can be instructed in the proper stretches to do. If muscle tightness is not the issue though – rather, there is some joint mobility limitation, neural tension, or otherwise weakness – the underlying issue can be properly identified, and the appropriate treatment and guidance can be given. 

In the meantime, during your workouts one of the most beneficial things you can do to help flexibility is to slow down your pace. Rather than trying to squat as quickly as you can, it’s better to go slower so you can focus on going through a greater range of motion than you typically would. When doing merkins, take time to go through the full range of motion, rather than just slightly bending your elbows. If you want to improve your flexibility and movement, you have to spend time exposing tissue to that stress. That doesn’t mean you necessarily have to hold it there for a long time, but you at least need to push the barrier of tension. Got an area that feels tight and you can’t figure it out?  Reach out to me! I’d be happy to take a look and help you gain a better understanding of what’s going on, and what you can do to improve it.

“Big Mean”, Bill Merritt, Physical Therapist

This post is opinion and does not constitute medical advice.