“Can you just show me a few stretches to fix this problem?” I’ve heard that a million times.
It’s usually preceded by a self-diagnosis, or, at least, a
web-assisted diagnosis. “My shoulder
hurts, can you show me some stretches to take care of it?” Or, “I hurt my back, what stretches can I do
to take care of that?”
I’m not sure where anybody learned that a “few stretches”
was the solution to their problems or (and even worse) that teaching stretches
was all I do.
Don’t assume that I’m against giving free advice. I do it all the time. Anybody that knows me
knows that I am quite approachable with questions about health issues.
My attitude has always been that if you have enough
confidence in my abilities to trust me with health questions, then you are
worthy of my time and full attention.
Even after doing this work for almost 48 years, I’m still honored when
someone asks my opinion.
My wife will tell you that it happens all the time. It usually starts with someone saying “I know
you don’t want to be bothered with stuff like this, but….” No, I really don’t
mind being bothered.
But don’t tell me what’s wrong and then tell me what to do
about it. “My knee hurts, are there some stretches I can do to fix that?” I just respectfully ask that you don’t reduce
my professions to that.
Before you get out of sorts, let me offer you some specifics
about what you can do. Free. Without asking. And not really just a few
stretches.
If your shoulder hurts, it’s probably related to posture.
You might say “but my posture is good—I always stand up straight.” That may be
the case, but the problem is the world we live in.
Everything we do is in front of us. We sit at a computer for
our work or we assemble equipment in a factory or we have hobbies or habits
that are in front of us. The result is that we function throughout our day with
our shoulders rolled forward. Maybe not
too much but enough.
That’s behind most of the shoulder problems I see in the
clinic. That and too much bench press.
Overdevelopment of the front part of the shoulder yields the same result.
The solution is often quite simple—strengthen the upper
back, particularly the muscles between your shoulder blades. Focus strength training on pulling back. Strengthen those muscles and you will go a
long way toward solving the postural component of your problems.
Kneecap (patellar) problems are common, particularly among
young teenage girls. The treatment for
that for too long has been attempts at strengthening the quadriceps muscles
(those muscles on the front of the thigh). Trouble is, that wasn’t very
effective.
What we know now is that the solution is more a matter of
how the foot hits the ground and how strong the hips are. Fix those problems and you will greatly
influence the knee.
Neck problems? Fix
the way you sit. Back problems? Strengthen your core. That’s not the whole solution, but it’s a
start. For more, see your physical therapist for a thorough evaluation and a
prescribed program of exercises and activities that fit the problem. It’s never as simple as a few stretches.
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