Ground-Up Stretching

Each month Rehab United Physical Therapy and Sports Performance Center will highlight a different topic for our RU Fit? blog.  We will post training tips on our Facebook Page each week and summarize them at the end of each month.  For June, we covered how to use a "ground up" approach for stretching.  Read below for more!


We refer to the body as a chain - i.e. muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones and other connective tissue are a series of links from our big toe to our forehead.  How each link moves is highly dependent on other links - both those close in proximity and those at the opposite end of the chain (thus, tight calves can contribute to low back pain, shoulder pain, and headaches).


Based on this, a recommended approach to stretching involves starting at the ground and working your way up the chain (stretch the calves, then the hamstrings, then hips, etc).  We have included three handouts for the calves, hamstrings and hips.  Enjoy!

Interview with Lesley Paterson

We had a chance to ask current Xterra World Champion - Lesley Paterson - how her Rehab United (RU) stretching and strength program has improved her performance  . . .

-Stretching is critical to my performance as it has helped maximize my efficiency, strength and power.  It has also been integral in in jury prevention. This largely has to do with maintaining range of motion - as when you're training as hard and as long as I am, muscles get overused and seize up; with that comes restricted range of motion which means that compensation patterns occur.  As soon as you start compensating by using tendons, ligaments and muscles not meant for that job, you lose efficiency and increase your chances for injury.

-Strength training in the off season is my golden ticket to speed maintenance during the season.  Triathlon is all about efficiency and strength, so by working specific exercises for each sport that enhance those, my chances of maintaining speed/power output across long periods of time goes up dramatically.  Not only that, by doing dynamic, functional strength work like we do at RU, I'm strengthening up all of the supporting tissues that often get injured when you start laying on the intensity.

Les - Congrats on an extremely successful 2011 race season and good luck in 2012!

Lesley Paterson with Rehab United CEO and Performance Coach, Bryan Hill.