Why when you stretch does the muscle you are stretching contract?

It’s called the stretch reflex, when a muscle reaches the end of its range of motion it contracts as a protective mechanism. Why does it seem counterintuitive that muscles have no other function than to contract and release? To top that, few of us know that you have to contract one muscle to release another.

Why is stretching counterintuitive?

What are we doing when we stretch? When we stretch and hold for a prolonged period, we tear muscle fiber that requires time to heal before exertion, thus we risk greater vulnerability in the muscle. This newly torn muscle then requires attention and training to accustom it to a new length no matter how small. If we stretch in short increments 5–20 seconds the muscle will contract to protect itself by resisting the activity. Exertion after this type of stretch will contract an already cold and contracted muscle, making it more susceptible to injury.

Conclusion

Stretching cannot be used to prevent injury but may be used to create greater mobility. The candidates for stretch are athletes who require longer strides and greater strength in hyperextension. For the rest of us it feels good to mobilize our joints. Bear in mind that no one can effectively stretch themselves, it is best done only with the aid a of a trainer. We all must learn to mitigate repetitive muscle tension.

Analgesics for healing

Heating pads and the body

We continuously use electrical household current against our bodies without a thought of how our bodies are affected by house voltage. Atrioventricular nodes are part of the body’s electrical system and they regulate and conduct impulses, or electrical signals, from the upper part of the atria to the lower ventricles of the heart. Much like these nodes, pacemakers regulate heartbeat. Atrioventricular nodes regulate electrical impulses in the body and are greatly influenced by a constant electrical stimulus. Consequently, when a stronger electrical signal is placed against the body, like a household current, the nodes will try to mimic it. Therefore, if the area is already excited and inflamed, the electrical stimulus may maintain and prolong that inflammation.

We use cold for everything...pain, swelling, inflammation, sprains, muscle tears…everything! After a while those areas become chronically dull and achy because repeated contact with cold slows or arrests blood flow, thus retarding the healing process. Cold will anesthetize the area allowing a practitioner to mobilize the joint targeted for therapy. The practitioner will, however, contrast this area with heat in order to continue the blood flow and healing.

The best rationale for hot versus cold is that in the first 15 minutes after injury, cold curtails the size of the wound area. Once the area returns to body temperature, healing can be enhanced by the application of warm to hot compresses to continue blood flow for healing. If the area is swollen and not hot, this indicates that there is fluid trapped in that area. Warmth can be applied to continue circulation throughout the area. If pain and swelling persist, or become worse, discontinue attempts to mitigate and seek professional help.