For the last two years I have been
developing a stretching technique that I believe has greatly helped my posture
and well-being. It involves finding the weakest parts of the body and
stretching and flexing into them. I alter my posture and then flex into that
position. What I try to flex towards is actually two sensations that are often
found together: 1) soreness, and 2) the cracking or popping of the joint. You
should notice that as you bring a joint into the range where it cracks it will
feel sore if the muscles are held flexed when in that position. Once you have
found a position like this, you want to stretch and flex into it. Whether the
joint actually cracks is not important, what is important is that you flex into
the underused position that is susceptible to cracking.
Stretching has gotten a bit of a bad rap
because static stretching has been shown to be less effective for athletes than
once thought. Static stretching does not involve flexure, it actually lessens
the sensitivity of tension receptors in the muscle, allowing it to relax and
stretch to a greater length. Studies have shown that static stretching can
actually reduce explosive ability and promote joint instability. In fact, most
stretching programs encourage hyper-flexibility of muscles which ironically
results in premature arthritis due to mechanical instability of the joints.
Also most athletes that stretch are using the same stretch routines time and
again overstretching large muscle groups while leaving many smaller, supportive
muscle groups completely unstretched. Static stretching increases “passive
range of motion.” We are interested in increasing “active range of motion.” To
improve posture and strength and reverse tension, we must turn to more active
and dynamic forms of stretching. For example, forms of isometric stretching,
and PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) stretching have been shown
to be very effective for athletes. These forms of stretching, unlike static
stretching, involve flexing certain muscles during a stretch.
Try to stretch an area of your back or
neck to the point right before it cracks, you can feel that it will crack, but
don’t push it all the way, don’t let it crack. Instead, hold the posture for
five to fifteen seconds just below the cracking threshold. While you are there
try moving it around slightly, it will probably feel achy and possibly sore.
The areas in your body that feel this way are the first areas that need
rehabilitation. In fact, cracking is associated with joint degeneration so
searching for areas that crack can provide you with a map of the areas of your
body that need help the most. Sometimes I will wriggle and writhe until I
actually feel a joint crack, then I freeze, hold that posture, and try to
stretch into it for five to fifteen seconds. It is amazing how quickly this
rehabilitates tense or atrophied muscles. After a few minutes a day, over the
course of a week you may find that you have strengthened the muscles
sufficiently so that they do not crack anymore. Cracking provides temporary
relief from tension, but does not heal the tension - you want the permanent
relief that is provided only by strengthening. This method gives you all of the
relief that you get from cracking your joints, but does so in a lasting way.
Take your neck for example. There are many
positions that you can put your neck into that are stiff and uncomfortable,
that might feel slightly sore and that will crack if pressed in to. Try looking
up and to the side, or down and to the side. Try touching your chin to your
chest and then looking right and left for several seconds. Hold that
uncomfortable position for several seconds while breathing deeply. I gently
crane my neck in many different directions every day. After you are done it is important to allow
the muscles to relax, so lie down and allow the flexion to subside completely.
You will find that if you do this in a specific position a few times a day,
that each day you do it, it will feel more comfortable and you will not only
expand your natural range of motion but improve your posture as well.
At first it feels unnatural to hold a
posture that cracks for a prolonged period. Usually, you want to feel the crack
and then allow the muscles to relax immediately. Avoid this inclination. You
might choose to crack the joint after the exercise to reward yourself – this is
fine. The first time I went to a chiropractor he made a comment about how tight
my neck was. He was able to crack it in several locations. This influenced me
to go home and try to flex into the same neck postures that he created when he
performed the adjustments. Now, two years later, when I go to a chiropractor they
have a lot of trouble cracking my joints. When they try spinal manipulations my
joints are flexible and supple and move and bend with the manipulation smoothly
without cracking. In fact, I can no longer find a chiropractor that can
successfully crack my neck or lower back. Some have told me after feeling the
muscles in my neck with their fingers that it is healthy and does not need to
be adjusted. This is all due to the method described here.
Even if flexing into a certain position
doesn’t cause it to crack, but does have the same sore sensation, try to flex
within that posture. I have become addicted to pursuing those sore sensations
everywhere in my body. The soreness corresponds to overused, tense muscles.
These are muscles that are so overused that they have begun to stiffen and
atrophy, and you generally have lost all control of them. Pursue them and give
them the exercise and the circulation that they are asking for. However, if you
experience a tight pinching or burning sensation then there could be an injury
or nerve damage so discontinue immediately. After 6 months of this method I
could crack dozens of joints throughout my body at will. I could crack several
in my neck without even touching my neck. I couldn’t do this before for two reasons:
1) the muscles were too tight and weak to allow me to reconfigure the
positioning of the joint, and 2) I developed much better proprioception,
knowledge about where my muscles are in space and how to move them to get a
great stretch. But being able to crack joints is not the intention, the intention
is to improve your posture and eradicate the tension that constrains it. Yoga
practitioners often describe stretches as “delicious” or “yummy.” Flexing into
and strengthening postures that crack is the best way to teach yourself how to
create a savory carriage for the head and spine.
I spend a lot of time stretching whether I
am at home or out in public. When I take yoga classes I alter the stretching
poses to create novel postures to flex into. I believe that most of the benefit
that I get from yoga comes from the additional flexing work that I do
throughout the class. You may also want to try flexing into postures of
strength on the trampoline. I will bounce up and down while flexing my gluteus,
while flexing my chin to my chest, and while pulling my shoulders back and
down. The accelerations and deaccelerations from jumping can help you gently
flex deeper into some of your biggest problem areas. You should also combine
this method with massage and compression. The sore muscles are much more
apparent and easy to flex into after myofascial release.
After a few months of using this routine I
found that I was cracking all over. I could crack joints easily all over my
body, and because I knew that my posture and physique had improved tremendously
I began to tentatively conclude that cracking might be good and that it might
be the overall goal. After another year of this routine I found that much of
the cracking subsided. Many of my joints were much healthier; they cracked less
and less until they stopped cracking completely. This made me realize that
cracking is a means to an end. In other words, as you employ this technique you
can expect to go through three phases; an inability to crack, excessive
cracking, and then a cessation in cracking. I wasn’t able to crack my joints at
first because I did not have the strength in the surrounding muscles to
leverage my way in to the very unhealthy muscle. The joints didn’t crack
because I couldn’t even flex the muscles surrounding them. After six months my
joints were cracking a lot because I finally had some strength in the muscles
that would support my efforts to flex into the weakest muscles. After another
year of employing this method, the cracking subsided because even my weakest
muscles and joints were no longer degenerative. The point is that you want to stretch
and flex into sore joints all over your body, using cracking as a diagnostic
tool. As you do this the joints will stop hurting and stop feeling like they
need to be cracked.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteBit confused as to how exactly you do it.. Could you make a video as an example of how to do about doing this routine!
Thanks! Been following you! Articles are of great help!
Your method is very similar to the method I describe at fixjointpain.com. I find a weak area. Stretch it. Then, while stretched, I flex it. I never had the cracking problem. And my process was helped tremendously when I stopped drinking alcohol, and started drinking green smoothies right before stretching. I'm now sober 5 years. Lately, I've been adding in massage to the area that is being stretched and flexed, and I've found two more great joint supplements: boron and dmso. Enjoy!
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