The Benefits of Assisted Stretch Therapy for Older Adults

April 10, 2022

The Benefits of Assisted Stretch Therapy for Older Adults

Age plays a factor in the loss of strength and mobility in our tissues. The key to making sure your muscles and joints don't lose range of motion is to maintain physical activity. Doing so as we age reduces the chance of injury and maintains mobility. Incorporating at-home stretching and assisted stretch therapy into your lifestyle can ensure you reach your goals and may even increase your lifespan! It is important to be regular with stretching to maximize  long-term benefits.

Relieves Pain and Arthritis

Do stiff hips, cracking knees, sore back, or achy joints sound familiar? Stretching can relieve symptoms associated with arthritis by lubricating the joints and enhancing and maintaining healthy range of motion. Additionally, stretching activates the parasympathetic nervous system which will cause an endorphin release, reducing the intensity of pain while also reducing acute inflammation. It's important to take joints through their full range of motion on a daily basis.

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Improves Poor Posture

Due to careers spent chronically sitting/standing, lifestyle choices, injuries, and genetics, posture is affected later in life. Signs will show such as a rounded back, forward head, back pain, and joint pain. There is hope! Posture can be modified with regular stretch therapy and a tailored at-home program that addresses your body's specific postural patterns. Here at The Anatomy of Wellness, we provide tailored stretch therapy sessions that are personalized based on a movement and postural assessment. We differ from other businesses that offer stretch therapy because of this customized approach to your care.

Increases Blood Flow and Energy Levels

Consistent stretching, done the right way, can improve circulation. This in turn gets oxygen and nutrients to the soft tissues of the body reducing recovery and healing times. A stretch session will get your muscles warm in preparation for the low-intensity PNF stretches which are gentle yet effective.

Stretching is an essential part of muscle re-education. Muscle re-education comes into play when we relearn faulty movement patters that lead to pain and preventable injuries. In addition to motor control and targeted strengthening exercises, stretching must be employed in order to reinforce the new pattern.

Our assisted stretch therapy sessions stand apart from others because we use assessment to drive our treatment. We do not offer cookie-cutter sessions that are arbitrarily given to clients. Rather, our mobility specialist will start by assessing your unique mobility restrictions and movement patterns. One of the go-to assessments we use is an overhead squat. The overhead squat brings to light gross compensation patterns clogging up your joints and muscles and preventing you from moving freely.

Reduces the Risk of Falling

For those in the aging population, please take mobility seriously! The risk of falling and avoidable injury shoots up as we age. So much of it can be prevented with stretching and consistent physical activity. Motion is lotion, as the saying goes and if you don't use it, you will lose it (mobility). Motor control and balance is also crucial in avoiding injury related to age, and we can help with that too!

More Benefits

Other benefits of assisted stretch therapy include perks like better sleep, a reduction in stress hormones, reduced muscle tension and pain, and an overall improved mood! When you visit us, we provide you with customized at-home stretches for you to perform between sessions to optimize your treatment plan.

About The Anatomy of Wellness

Our focus at The Anatomy of Wellness is your overall well-being. We work with each client individually to develop a custom plan that suits your specific needs. We have a dedicated mobility specialist on-site. No need to live with pain. If you have degenerative arthritis, lower backache, poor posture, or low levels of energy consider our unique assisted stretching techniques as a component of your plan to wellness.

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