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THE CLIFFS' WELLNESS TIP:

Functional Flexibility: Flexibility You Can Use.

Stretching may make you more flexible but is it flexibility you can use. Is it “functional flexibility”? The point of a consistent stretching program is to create flexibility you can use in your favorite sport and daily activities.  In numerous cases throughout my career, I have seen flexibility as either something people avoid all together or, on the other extreme, take too far. In life, and in most sports, flexibility is expressed dynamically and fluidly, not statically as stretching is generally done. An important aspect of stretching that is overlooked is the role of the proprioceptive system and the planes of motion in which the body moves. Before I go further, let’s define planes of motion and proprioceptors. Planes of Motion: When the body moves, it moves along three dimensions or “planes,” referred to as planes of motion. This concept is important because, if we do not prepare our bodies for moving in all three planes, then we may be susceptible to injury. The three planes are the sagital plane, which divides the body from left to right; the frontal plane, which divides the body from front to back; and the transverse or rotational plane, which separates the body top from bottom. When the body is stretched, all three planes should be taken into consideration. Proprioceptors: Proprioceptors are sensors in the muscles, tendons and joints that provide information about position and movement of the body. When a muscle is stretched, a small fiber in the muscle senses this lengthening and sends a signal to the central nervous system informing it of the speed and degree of the lengthening. The central nervous system either okays this degree and magnitude of lengthening, or limits it by telling the muscle to contract. Traditional static stretching, which typically is done lying or sitting, focuses on stretching muscles in isolation at a single joint in one plane of motion, which does not prepare the proprioceptors for the stretch.   For a stretch to be functional, it must not only lengthen the muscle and connective tissue but activate the proprioceptors by using gravity, ground reaction and momentum in all three planes. Let’s take the hamstring, for example.  A functional stretch would be a forward reach lunge. A forward reach lunge is performed the same as a traditional lunge but, instead of keeping the body perfectly straight, you reach for your toes, allowing your spine to bend.  To add a stretch to your hip rotators, you can take the same forward reach lunge and stretch your hands down over the lunging leg. Additionally, for the hip flexors, you can use the same stretch and reach your hands over and behind your head. Ease into the lunge patterns and slowly pick up the speed as you perform a set of 20 reps, alternating legs. These stretches are excellent to perform before a run, bicycle ride, game of tennis or golf. Lateral and rotation lunges with similar arm patterns will hit other aspects of the hips and groin. Functional flexibility requires control over the body’s entire range of motion at any given moment. This control comes only from a perfect blend of mobility and stability. “Mostability” is a fun kind of oxymoron phase that best describes this perfect balance of motion and stability. Mostability is having “The ability to functionally take advantage of just the right amount of motion, at just the right joint, in just the right plane, in just the right direction, at just the right time.” To paraphrase no matter what task you perform, reaching, twisting, bending, squatting, hitting a golf ball or hitting a backhand, your body needs the right blend of motion and stability to effectively perform that task with each task having different requirements. Performing functional stretches prior to and post activity as well as functional strength training will help you find this perfect blend that will allow you to enhance your golf game, tennis game or daily activities.

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