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Rajam Roose, HHP
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www.RajamRoose.com 3103 Falcon St. Ste. I San Diego, CA 92103 619-964-5821 |
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| Greetings!
Hope this newsletter finds you and your family in good health! As the weather warms, more of us participating in outdoor activities. Many of my clients are already experiencing some calf, foot, hip and leg problems from the uptake in their running and/or walking exercises. This newsletter will cover some great leg and calf stretches. In my next newsletter, I'll discuss some ways to avoid the further aggravation of any current calf, hip or leg pain.
I'm also pleased to announce that I've been nominated for the "A- List San Diego Best Massage Therapist". A big thank you to the client that nominated me! I've included a link that will take you right to the voting page. You will also be able to purchase a 60 minute massage for $50 (reg. price is $80), so feel free to pass the info along to your friends and family.
Warmly,
Rajam Roose, HHP
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Nominated for A-List Best Massage in San Diego!
Voting runs from July 1st through Aug. 26th. When you vote, you will have access to my massage special-- purchase a 60 minute massage for $50 (reg. $80). Feel free to share with friends & family!
Here's the link:
Vote for Rajam Roose, HHP- Best Massage in San Diego!
You don't have to live in San Diego in order to vote. Although you can only vote once, you can vote once from different email addresses ;)
Thanks so much for your support! |
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About Stretching
Although stretching is a routine activity before workouts or sport events, researchers are increasingly becoming skeptical that stretching before an event prevents injury. In fact, stretching before an event has been shown to weaken the muscle for up to 30 minutes after performing the stretch! What will prevent injuries is warming up before the activity. This can be done by lightly jogging in place or jumping rope for about five minutes. Stretching is more useful after the activity. A great article about stretching was posted in the NY Times in 2008, you can read it by clicking HERE.
A good stretch shouldn't load other structures, such as tendons or joints. The stretch is best in a position where it isn't expounding energy to maintain its position. An example would be those folks who toss one leg up on the hood of their car before heading out for a run to stretch the hamstrings. Not only are the ligaments of the knees placed under abnormal stress by being hyper-extended but stress is also being placed on the low back. The only thing you will gain by stretching a muscle under a load is a group of cranky nerves that have been over stretched.
The best stretches are performed by a relaxed body and isolating the specific muscles. Some of the worse examples of stretching I've seen in public is for the hamstrings and calf muscles, so I've included them here in this issue. The only thing you may need is a strap to aid in stretching. The strap I use in my office and to give to clients is called an OPTP Strap and you can find it relatively cheap on Amazon by clicking HERE.
Some tips:
1. Do NOT stretch into pain or tension. Gently ease into stretch until you feel slight tension or pain, back off just a touch and that's where you will hold the stretch.
2. There's a good deal of debate on how long one should hold a stretch, or even if stretching itself is even necessary. For now, you can be safe holding the stretch anywhere from 2 - 30 seconds.
3. In order to benefit most from stretching, you will have to perform them a couple times a day for at least two weeks. Not just when you exercise.
4. Do NOT bounce during the stretch.
5. Warm up before your activity and stretch after.
6. Do NOT stretch an injured or sore muscle. Check out this great article that perfectly explains why you don't stretch a sore muscle: HERE
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Hamstring Muscle Group
As you can see the hamstrings consist of three muscles; the biceps femoris, semi-membranosus and the semi-tendinosus. In order to effectively stretch the hamstrings, you will need to position your leg in various angles to access all three muscles. This is because each muscle has a slightly different action.
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Hamstring Stretch
Here's a great example to stretch the hamstrings muscle group. Notice how the model's left leg is straight with toes & knee pointed to ceiling. This helps to stabilize the hip so the right hamstring gets the most effective stretch. When stretching the hamstring group, it is very important to keep the opposite leg in this stabilizing position.
In order to access the entire hamstring group, it's helpful to also perform the stretch with the leg externally & internally rotated. * Internal rotation means the knee and toes of leg being stretched are pointed toward other leg. * External rotation means the knee and toes of leg being stretched are pointed away from other leg.
For the internal stretch you will start with the right leg, keeping leg flat on floor- wrap strap around the foot. Rotate entire leg (not just the calf!) toward the midline of the body and then pull on strap to raise leg.
For the external stretch you will begin the same as the other stretches, except you will rotate the entire leg so the knee and toes face away from the other leg.
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Gastrocnemius Muscle (Calf)
 This is your gastrocnemius muscle, notice how the top of the muscle attaches to the bones of the femur (the thigh bone)? |
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Gastrocnemius Muscle Stretch
 Here's a great example of stretching the calf muscle without placing it under load. Simply sit with legs outstretched, wrap strap just underneath ball of foot and gently pull. |
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Soleus Muscle (Calf)
 Notice that the top of the soleus muscle does NOT attach to the femur (thigh bone). |
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Soleus Stretch
 This is the best stretch for the soleus muscle. When the leg is straight, the gastrocnemius prevents a full stretch of the soleus because the gastrocnemius attaches to the thigh bone. In order to "unlock" the gastrocnemius muscle and allow for a good stretch of the soleus, you will need to bend your knee. |
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Rajam Roose
Therapeutic Massage by Rajam Roose, HHP |
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