Stretching

Sometimes you learn what you need only after you are in pain or forced to realize that something needs to change. So what does this have to do with stretching? Well, I bet like many of you who exercise, you probably skip out on mobilizing before and after working out because that isn’t too fun or takes time. Yup, I know the excuses but you know what as you get older those non-fun activities are likely what is going to allow you to continue to exercise without pain. How do I know? Well, having sporadic mid-back pain was one way my body was telling me you need to change something.

Changing what I did was difficult because I didn’t know what caused the pain in the first place. Could it be my workouts or sleeping on a bad mattress or did I just need to see a chiropractor and go to physical therapy? Well, I did the latter and switched the mattress but the pain kept returning. Finally, I was about to give up and went to a sports chiropractor found out that my lack of stretching was the reason I wasn’t squatting well and my mid-back was in pain. Some simple stretching exercises were recommended and within two weeks I saw a significant improvement. Does this mean that your pain will go away too if you stretch? Not sure because you likely need to speak with your doctor but stretching and yoga are beneficial to me so I’m going to stick with it.