Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with stretching

Downward Dog is not for me...

TrickyLib — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:58:12 -0800

Can anyone give me recommendations for yoga dvds that do not contain downward facing dog poses? I really do not enjoy this position for reasons I don't want to explain here. I tried taking a yoga class at my park district, but there was so much downward dog I ended up quitting after just three classes.

Will these muscles ever open up?

dancestoblue — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:03:53 -0800

I'm 54 years old, fairly new (2+ years) into a yoga practice. I'm unable to open up enough to successfully do many of the poses; my muscles are not only tight but also actually shorter (from what a trusted massage therapist told me) shorter than the same muscles on other people, presumably because I've carried stress by tightening up all these years. I do believe in this practice, and the possibilities of actually opening up these muscles over time -- is this just delusional? When I casually mentioned to the massage therapist -- who is also a qualified yoga instructor -- that I believed that these shortened, tightened muscles would open up / lengthen over time, she seemed surprised; I don't recall exactly what she said, but words to the effect "Hey, you've been tightening/shortening these muscles for decades, they're set this way, you're now 54, give it up" or some such. And I'm thinking "Hey, I'm hoping that my body will open up, might take years but I've got time.

Many of the poses I'm just unable to perform correctly, I'm strong but inflexible; I've had two masters tell me this -- as a general rule, when showing up to begin a yoga practice, women are flexible but not strong; men are strong but not flexible. It is very annoying to me to watch my women friends bend down and palms down on the floor, and because of tight hamstrings and butt and every other muscle I'm barely able (on a good day) to get my fingers to the floor -- and this after two years of this practice, and my women friends not practicing anything other than maybe flexing their fingers around a keyboard -- but I've seen it enough to accept that it's how it is.

So. Will my old ragged body open up over time? Will my muscles not only become more flexible but perhaps stretch out? Am I expecting the unbelievable, hoping for the unbelievable?

Massage and physical therapist and people who have (or have not) had their body open up, share your experiences please -- thanx!

Why don't any of these stretches work for me?

d. z. wang — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:46:53 -0800

StretchingFilter: what am I doing wrong? I don't feel any "pull" from these stretches, or they happen in the wrong places or feel like real pain. I'm told a good stretch creates a diffuse pulling feeling, not quite painful but related. I have trouble getting that feeling when stretching some parts of my body, especially my lower body. Not being able to do this apparently normal thing has bothered me for a long time, and I'm reminded of it every time I go to gym or take some kind of fitness test. But the one measure of flexibility in high school is a toe touch, where I did well, so gym teachers tended to tell me not to worry, and just not to stretch if it bothered me.

That's the short version. Next comes a probably tl;dr list of specific stretches and how they feel. There are a lot of them because I've spent a few years looking for ones that work for me, not generally to any success. I usually describe them stretching my right, but rest assured I've tried both sides. I also stretch my upper body, but those stretches actually seem to work so I won't say more.

Standing toe-touch: I stand with my knees straight, bend at the waist, and put my palms flat on the ground. My face is several inches from my shins, but I lack the abdominal muscle to get it closer. I do get an interesting feeling in the backs of my shoulders if I try to press my hands against the floor and use the friction to force my face closer.

Sitting toe-touch: I sit with my legs straight out in front of me, bend over at the waist, and grab the lateral edges of my feet. I immediately have trouble breathing and a few seconds later a tingling/numbing feeling down the back of one or both my legs, like the sort of parathesias you get when a sleeping leg wakes up.

Standing quadriceps stretch: I stand on my left foot, bend my right leg back at the knee until my right foot touch my butt, and hold it there with one or both hands. If I tuck the instep of my right foot into the crook of my right elbow, I feel the beginning of a stretch along my shin, but nothing in my quadriceps. If I contract my hamstrings, as some people have recommended, I feel a matching contraction in my quadriceps. If I arch my back it just hurts my back.

Lying version 1: The standing stretch, except lying on my side. Same results.

Lying version 2: I lay on my back, except while my left leg is straight my right leg is bent at the knee so that my foot is under my butt. I don't feel anything while doing this stretch, but the one night I tried it I also had a very strange sensation in that knee whenever I flexed or extended it. I don't know how to describe it, except that it was disturbing enough I didn't try it with my left knee, or ever again.

Lying piriformis stretch: I cross my right ankle over my left thigh by the knee and roll backward onto my back, using my hands on the left shin by the knee to pull my right leg up to my chest. This doesn't seem to do anything.

Sitting piriformis stretch: I cross my right left over my left, and then lie down prone with my left leg straight behind me and my right leg bent in front and then left so my right foot is by my left hip. If I really bear down I can feel a little pull on the outside of my right hip, but mostly I feel like I'm fighting the tendency to twist to the left.

Sitting, one-legged toe touch: I cross my left ankle over my right thigh just above the knee, to hold my knee flat to the ground. Then I reach forward and grab the sides of my right foot with my hands, bringing my face to my left ankle. I do feel a pull along the back of my thigh, but also in two other places: if I flex my ankle, I feel a sharp, localized pain in the arch of my foot (but if I don't, my right heel presses uncomfortably into the floor); if I twist my body slightly to the left, toward my bent knee, I feel a stretch along the left side of my torso.

Side splits: I spread my legs apart to the sides until my groin is maybe a foot off the floor, at which point I feel pain on the medial sides of my knee. Ten years ago I could get down to the floor, but I guess ten years ago I was ten years younger.

Sitting V: I sit with my legs outstretched and spread apart, and reach alternately for each of my feet and for some point on the floor between them. This doesn't produce any negative effects, but I also can't push myself far enough into it to feel a stretch. Once when I asked someone else to push me down, he was able to put my chest against my leg. It didn't hurt, but against I had trouble breathing.

Butterfly stretch: I put the soles of my feet together and tuck my heels into my groin, and bend over them. If I keep my back straight, there comes a point around 30-45 degrees from the vertical when I just can't pull myself forward any more. It doesn't feel like a stretch, really. It just feels like I've reached some internal stop and my hips won't go any farther. I've also tried this with someone else standing on my knees to keep them flat to the floor, in case that was the problem. Same result.

I don't know what this is for, but we used to do it in gym: I reach over my shoulder with my right hand like I'm scratching my back. If I bring my elbow in medially, I can get it all the way behind my head and touch the top of my lumbar vertebrae; if I push with my left hand, I can actually press my biceps against my trapezius and cause some pain in my shoulder. On the other hand, if I keep my elbow out laterally, maybe 45 degrees from vertical, I seem to catch something in the vicinity of my triceps. But pulling back hard enough to stretch that also causes shoulder pain.

Dynamic stretches: Someone who used to run track showed me a style of stretching where you gently swing through the stretch instead of reaching and holding. I don't particularly care about it because I'd never feel safe doing that anywhere near my limits.

Neck/shoulder injury: stretches to alleviate knots?

not_on_display — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:22:40 -0800

Seeking online resources that show you, visually, how to stretch your muscles, particularly upper-back/shoulders/neck area, to alleviate a pinched nerve. I injured myself bodysurfing--a wave slammed me hard into the sand, landing me on my shoulders and neck. Immediately after the accident, my right arm felt like I'd hit a funnybone, and my hand was stuck in a claw position. Very quickly, the numbness died down, and I had full range of motion back. (whoo, lucky! Thankfully I was not paralyzed. And then I went back in the water. I couldn't help myself.)

What didn't go away: I now have a lot of sensitivity in my right forearm, wrist, and all fingers but the index and thumb, on the posterior (hair-covered) side. I describe the feeling as, "my arm has a headache." It's also very temperature-sensitive.

I have seen my doctor about this, and he didn't seem too concerned--he supported my theory that it is a pinched nerve. He didn't prescribe muscle-relaxants or painkillers, or send me to a chiropractor, and he said that it should slowly heal within a month or two. He also didn't write me a referral to a physical therapist, which is why I write this AskMe. (The injury happened about a month ago. If the pain persists into mid-October, I will insist that he take a more vigorous tack.)

In the meantime, though, my neck and shoulders are sore a majority of the time, and I'd like to find some stretches to do to alleviate the knots that have set up camp there. (My poor posture is probably not helping, either.) Are there any web resources you've found that have helped you in similar situations with neck/shoulder pain? I prefer learning these things visually; it's easier for me to see things being done that to be told how to do them. I'm not in the market to take a yoga class, seek acupuncture, or other things, not yet. I just want to heat, cool, and lightly stretch the affected area.

Thanks!

Better Breakdancing: How can I decrease my downtime from strenous practice sessions?

ManyNinjas — Sat, 02 May 2009 10:38:20 -0800

Better Breakdancing: How can I decrease my downtime from strenous practice sessions? I'd like to double the amount I train without risking injury or constant soreness. I've been breakdancing for almost 3 years, and my problem is that I've never been able to practice more than 2 times a week without leaving my body feeling wrecked. I'd like to be able to train 4 times a week and be able to practice with my body feeling as close to 100% as it can.

I stretch for 20 minutes before I start practicing, and I also cool down with about 10-15 minutes of stretching. I've also taken up yoga to help with my flexibility. I still feel like I need to rest 2-3 days between breakdance practices.

Training puts a lot of stress on my shoulders, knees, wrists and calves. I would consider weight training, but doing that before practice leaves me with no strength to dance, and doing it after I leaves me sore for 2-3 days anyways. Maybe I'm doing something wrong. So what are the best ways I can keep my body from feeling sore, pulling muscles or getting injured, and maintain peak performance?

Splits exercises

philosophygeek — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 10:08:49 -0800

Help me design a stretching/exercise program to allow me to do the splits. What stretches should I be doing? How long should I hold the stretch? Any particular exercises I should be practicing? What's a reasonable timeframe for developing this skill? I'm a healthy 27-year old male. I would classify my current flexibility as okay but not great--I can touch my toes without bending my knees but not much more than that; I can comfortably put my legs at a little more than 90 degree angle in a seated straddle stretch.

Getting back to training after mid-plan overtraining symptoms?

activitystory — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:45:42 -0800

Marathon training filter: How long has it taken you to recover from the symptoms of overuse and get back to your training plan? I'm currently using Hal Higdon's Intermediate II training plan to prepare for the 2008 NYC Marathon (my 3rd). It's been a big step up in mileage for me (I'd only been running 2 or 3 days a week for previous marathons, but I'm running 5 days on this). I took it slow and increased miles no more than 10% to get to where I am now. I am an avid stretcher and practice yoga several times a week, and am very cautious about injuries. My shoes were purchased near the beginning of training and seem to be just fine. This is week 8 (half way) for me, and I've had absolutely no problems, until...

I accidentally ran 18 miles when I should have run 16 on Sunday, at the end of a week where I had to rearrange a couple of runs because of travel. Nothing strange happened, but I was totally spent during the last few miles. Afterward, I stretched and took an ice bath. Then, I took Monday off, and went out for a short how-do-I-feel jog last night... My outer-calves felt very week, and the outside back of my left knee was a little... pinchy? Not excruciating, but definitely a sign I should take it easy. It feels a little like the time several years ago where I had IT Band problems, but nowhere near as painful. On the way home from my run, I stopped by the gym and stretched out a little: rolled out my quads and IT band, rolled out my shins and calves, and stretched the front of my legs. Iced when I got home.

Has anyone had a similar problems during training for a specific race? How many days/weeks did it take you to get back on track? Did you feel like your base miles reset or diminished? What worked for you? How did you decide to get back into the training plan?

Based on all I've ever read, this is a pretty common problem (I've been fearful and cautious about it for some time), and I understand that rest, ice, and stretching are usually the remedy; what I'm looking for is actual stories from actual runners about what impact this has had on their training. Did you bounce back in time to train for the race without further incident?

Good stretches for an inflexible fellow?

jdroth — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 08:24:50 -0800

I went to see my doctor yesterday for a running injury (IT band). He says that basically I'm fit but that I have the "flexibility of a two-by-four". He wants me to do a stretching regimen three times a day — more if possible. He showed me a couple of stretches, but I'd like to do more. Can you recommend any good individual stretches or stretching routines, especially for a novice runner (and especially for one having trouble with his IT band)? YouTube clips a HUGE plus. Yoga's fine, but there's now way in hell I can do the pigeon pose (I have the flexibility of a two-by-four, remember?).

Gas crisis.

loiseau — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 19:46:59 -0800

My own private gas crisis. Looking for a couple of simple stretches I can do. I'm not farty, I'm just feeling gross and inflated.

I figure yoga must have postures that help with this. I know not of yoga postures. Can someone loan me a couple that will make me feel like less of a blimp? Even just easing the tender-belly sensation would be nice.

I already get lots of cardio because I bike everywhere, so exercise generally is not cutting the cheese. (har har har)

I want to be a human pretzel...

lemonade — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:59:39 -0800

Are there any good yoga/stretching DVDs for increasing flexibility? I'm looking for a DVD with an emphasis on becoming more flexible. Can you recommend a flexibility yoga DVD, or maybe something with stretching for martial artists or dancers? My hips and legs are especially tight, and since I need to work on this anyhow, maybe I can get all the way to the splits!

Will having a baby physically change sex?

Go, now. Go! — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 17:41:44 -0800

Would having a baby change sex forever? (more info, not for the squeamish, inside) I really like my sex life now. But I keep reading and/or hearing that vaginal birth stretches things out down there in a way that changes sex forever. I'm not interested in vaginal rejeuvination surgery.

If you are a woman who has had a baby (vaginal delivery), or a man who has had sex with a woman both before and after she did so, is sex very different afterwards? Is it less pleasurable? And if there is a difference, how much of a difference is it? Does the vagina spring back, so to speak, or is there only so much that Kegel exercises can do?

Finally, if you are a woman who had a caesarian section, or a man who has had sex with a woman who delivered that way, did you notice any physical change during sex?

Just to be clear, I understand that having a child can have an effect on sex for other reasons, and that having kids can be worth it even if there is a lasting physical effect in this area. This question is exclusively about the physical effects of a vaginal or caesarian birth.

If you prefer to reply anonymously, I can be emailed at gonowgo@gmail.com. Thanks!

Are my discs slipping?

T.D. Strange — Thu, 22 May 2008 21:39:03 -0800

Sometimes when I stretch my back, it kind of pops and hurts sharply, what's up with that? Im 6'5, 175, and not in the best shape at present. I have a habit of stretching my back with arms over the head, and either turning around to left or right or leaning sideways. Sometimes when I stretch and turn, my spine (kind of mid back area, I think always the same place, but maybe not) kind of pops and I feel it slip a bit, followed by a sharp stabbing pain. Is this some sort of disc slippage? What causes it, bad posture, bad stretching motions? And is this something that would stop if I worked out those back muscles more?

If only it were as simple as changing the oil

EatTheWeak — Mon, 12 May 2008 06:41:38 -0800

I could use some help loosening up for my return to cycling. After a very long interval away from bicycles, I am returning to two-wheeled transport for both fitness and commuting. I was hoping some veteran Mefite cyclists might recommend a few stretches for the hips, legs and lower back. I'm feeling a lot of tension through these areas, and am hoping to learn some stretches ideal for loosening these regions up.

Stretching Without Bending

meerkatty — Tue, 06 May 2008 12:31:27 -0800

Is there a way to stretch my quadriceps without bending my knees? My right knee doesn't bend all the way - a result of constant patella dislocation when I was a teenager. I cannot do standing, sidelying or prone quadriceps stretches (all demonstrated here) with my right leg. But I desperately need to stretch and am worried about damaging my knee again because I'm not. (I'm presently running 5 times/week.) Anyone have any suggestions?

How do I relieve this pain in my shoulders?

miasma — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:47:06 -0800

I'm having a pretty standard tight pain in my shoulders (most likely due to stress), kind of like my shoulders are stuck in the tensed up shrug position. Can the hivemind recommend some remedies? I found some exercise sites from past posts, but anything would be helpful.

Trigger a Training Montage

EatTheWeak — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 03:37:02 -0800

I planned to ask about finding low-cost help for depression. But I'm asking about joint pain instead. I've got me a case of the crippling depression. And yeah, in every thread about treating depression on the cheap, working out is the first line of every other answer. Doesn't seem to matter what, so long as it's something.

Sounds great. I'm all for it. But the trouble is that I've not done much working out in awhile, and I've developed some persistent aches and pains.

The sharpest pain is in my right knee, but it's colonized my right hip and lower back as well. The discomfort is enough to make finding a tolerable posture to sit or lie in troublesome. I would like to get these pains sorted out before I begin anything too vigorous.

So I'm asking for some good stretches and exercises to get my back, leg, hips and knees ready to work. I haven't any money to spend on this project, so gym memberships, classes and the like are right out.

Thank you for your help.

My hamstrings! My valuable hamstrings!

thehmsbeagle — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 20:47:37 -0800

How do I un-tighten my super-tight hamstrings? Yes, I know you want to say "Stretch, fool!" but: I had a massage earlier today. When the therapist worked on my hamstring, it was like being stabbed with rusty daggers made of fire. It was astoundingly painful, even with a very light touch: someone could easily use this as a torture method for the tense.

I do yoga a few times a week. I'm not incredibly limber, but for pretty much everything but forward bends, I feel like I'm as flexible as I need to be. Forward bends, however, are my nemesis. I never seem to make any progress, which, since it hurts, is discouraging and off-putting.

If I'm warmed up, I can touch the floor, but I've never been able to get my palms flat on the floor. And no matter how warmed up I am, my hamstrings stay really tight, and it's still really pretty painful. Not quite the stabbed-by-fire levels I experience when someone touches the hot spots, but still: ouch. Naturally - and I know this is a less-than-ideal mindset - the pain makes me tenser, and makes it less likely that I'll breathe through the tension to release.

This has been going on, embarrassingly enough, for years, and I never seem to make much headway on the problem. So: is there some technique I should explore? (I've done Pilates and am not a fan, so much. Just in case you were about to suggest this.) Is there a kind of "Two Months To Supple Hamstrings" book I can buy?

Thanks!

Should I stretch after judo?

amusem — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 13:56:44 -0800

There is no stretching at my judo dojo. Shouldn't there be any, especially at the end of an intense session? After each tri-weekly 1.5-hour session, we salute the instructor and then the dojo is closed off and we all head immediately to the changing-room. Nobody stretches. The day after, I feel rigid and lacking flexibility.

Is it important to stretch after judo?

Should I consider finding a dojo that leaves time for some stretching at the end of each session?

Can I fix this carpet wrinkle myself?

RustyBrooks — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 14:31:07 -0800

We have a house we're going to make an offer on this weekend. There is one room upstairs which is VERY large (600 sq feet, about 18'x34'). The carpet has some "ripples" in it, as if it's not stretched tight enough. Is this something I can fix myself? Here is a picture of a ripple. I'm pretty handy in general. Carpet installers use those long poles to stretch carpet but I am guessing that just don't make them that long. I don't know much about carpet stretching in general.

If I can't do it myself, what might I expect a pro to charge for it?

Worked nipple Filter

Anonymous — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 18:54:04 -0800

Possibly NSFW question: How can I (a man) harden and stretch my nipples? What I'm looking for is the worked, always protruding nipples like on Steve "Titpig" Hurley (if you Google him, you'll find lots of NSFW gay-oriented images, so be warned). I've been using snake-bite suckers and even lots of twisting and tugging, but I'm really not seeing progress. I realize this might be a question better suited to e-mail responses since people with experience might not want to post a response, so I've set up a disposable Gmail account: nipmanymous@gmail.com.

Is the O'Connor technique all it's cracked up to be?

Rc — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 19:07:00 -0800

Has anyone had experience with the O'Connor Technique for treating back pain? (Any good stretches for the upper back would be a bonus) Last night I "displaced a vertebrae" in my upper back as the result of a heavy fall. After googling for some stretches I came across the O'Connor technique and was intrigued.

The stretches I found / know just aren't cutting it either. My current options for stretching mu upper back are:

1) Reaching both arms in front of me and pulling one with the other.
2) Hands behind head and squeeze shoulder blades together.
3) Bridging (but I can't do this right now because of the pain and my right arm giving way).

Thanks!

Bend me, shape me, anyway you want me

ajp — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 05:14:21 -0800

Recommendations for one-on-one intensive flexibility therapy in London. I'm looking for something that's not quite sports massage, not quite regular massage, but something that will specifically increase my flexibility.

My flexibility declines rapidly, even with regular stretching - and I know a thing or two about stretching. In particular my shoulders, calves and hamstrings shrink rapidly. Any therapist working on my calves always tells me to stretch them, to which I answer "I do", and the rejoinder is always "Then do it more." But I digress.

What I'm after probably qualifies as the "lazy person's stretching alternative": is there some sort of physical therapist who can stretch, twist and contort me while I lie back and think of England? I'm specifically after stretching here, I go elsewhere for injury treatment.

This question is inspired in part by memories of a TV programme about some western guys visiting a bath-house in Turkey. After being soaped and scrubbed, they were subjected to the attentions of a wizened old geezer, who twisted them in knots and stretched them like elastic. Maybe I'm after a sanitised (i.e. safe) version of this? If so, what is it called? Where can I find it? Specifically, can anyone tell me where to get this sort of treatment in London (UK) and does anyone have any experience of it?

I'm currently trawling through search-engine results for "Turkish massage in London", and maybe I'll look for Thai and Indian massage too. However I'd really like personal recommendations and experiences. Also I'd really like to know the name of what I'm looking for!

Caveats: I'm not asking about joining a gym, nor going to any sort of classes like yoga, pilates, Feldenkreiss (sp?), Alexander technique, etc. I want one-on-one attention. I'm also not looking for advice on stretching routines, thanks anyway. (Seriously, I am *not* looking for this advice, I'm pursuing those enquiries elsewhere.)

Help me stand up straight.

I Am Not a Lobster — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 16:13:28 -0800

I have a tall-person slouch. What exercises and stretches will help me improve my posture?

feel the stretch!

whatitis — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 11:10:19 -0800

ear piercing/stretching question inside & a good piercing shop in nyc? how big can the lobe be pierced if it is not pierced already? i understand if the ear is already pierced, but what if a person is starting from scratch. for example, if a person wants to size up to a 2 or 0... do they start at 10, wait the six months for it to heal, and then stretch up incrementally once it heals? or can you start with a 2 and just leave it be?

also, any recomended piercing shops in NYC? or places to avoid...

Pedal Agony

ducksauce — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 11:29:59 -0800

How do I stretch out a pair of rock climbing shoes? I bought these rock climbing shoes (5.10 Anasazi) about two months ago a full size smaller than what I usually wear in regular street shoes. I was expecting them to stretch at least half a size but they really haven't stretched at all and my feet are killing me every time I go climbing -- I go home with bruises on my big toes and trouble bending them for the rest of the week. Is there any way I can stretch these things out or are they destined for eBay?

I've found some information online about stretching regular shoes, but these have something of a curve to them so I'm not sure if I could use a shoe stretcher. So far I've tried dampening them with hot water and putting them on, manually pushing on them, and just wearing them for hours upon hours. So far not much luck.