Back in the Game: The Benefits of Daily Assisted Stretching

I am an avid Major League Baseball fan. While I do have my favorite team, I also just love the game, so I pull for them all. If MLB is on the television, I am watching.

I know how much hard work, dedication, sacrifice and commitment it takes to make it to the big league.

My heart wants everyone to do well… until the World Series. Then it’s “game on”—I’m pulling for my team!

I can’t stand to hear about a player who has suffered injuries and placed on the Injured Reserve List. My inner Stretching Coach immediately thinks that I can help get them back in the game.

When it comes to overuse and repetitive movement night after night, tight muscles just get tighter and stress on joints gets more intense until something gives—a tear, a break, a sprain, a fracture which leaves a player, a team and fans in big trouble. It can be disastrous to an entire season.

According to this article from Forbes, over the past 15 years, injured MLB has lost $7 billion in wages due to player injuries placing them on the disabled list.

The big question in the article asks, “Why does a non-contact sport like baseball suffer from this injury plague?”

The article answers this question with many reasons, but you know what my answer would be—these players need to STRETCH!

But it’s not just professional athletes who need to be regularly stretching—we all do!

Experts recommend that each major muscle group should be stretched for 5 - 10 minutes for 6 days a week.

How many of us can say that we are stretching just about every day of the week? I’d guess not many of us!

But why wouldn’t we be stretching every day when the benefits are this good?

>> Increased blood flow & circulation

>> Increased range of motion & flexibility

>> Increased mobility

>> Better sleep from increased circulation & relaxed muscles

>> Better posture

>> Decreased risk of injury

>> Relief from muscle tension

Assisted Stretching has done wonders for me and my students—we have been able to get “back in the game” because of stretching.