Optimal muscle health depends on consistent stretching, essential vitamins for tendons, and effective recovery from soreness. Learn the best PNF techniques and stretches for major muscle groups to prevent injury and loss of tone.
Wearing the wrong shoes, especially for running, can cause foot injuries such as plantar fasciitis, which is common in those just starting to work out. Ballerinas who go on pointe must stretch their feet to increase flexion in their arches.
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Your biceps muscle is located on the front of your upper arm and runs from your elbow to your shoulder. Performing exercises that require arm flexion, where you bring your forearm toward your upper arm, requires the biceps muscle to work to produce movement.
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Trigger points are small, painful, tight nodules of muscle fibers buried in muscles. They contribute to chronic muscular pain, which in turn leads to joint pain and stiffness. Trigger points keep muscles tense and weak at the same time.
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Stretching is an important part of your regular exercise routine and can improve your level of fitness and help you perform better. When done correctly, stretching should not cause pain or soreness.
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A lack of muscular strength may cause the legs to feel weak or unable to support the body’s weight. It can be caused by many different disorders, such as bilateral sciatica, which affects the muscles in both legs. It may also be caused by a spinal injury.
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The inability to walk as far and as long as you'd like to can be frustrating and even depressing. It may also be a sign your body is giving you to alert you of a health problem. Two causes of leg weakness after walking a short distance may be spinal stenosis or peripheral artery disease, especially as you age.
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Scoliosis often creates an S-shaped curve that starts in the thoracic region of the spine. Without treatment, the spinal curves caused by scoliosis may worsen, causing pain, physical disfigurement, breathing difficulty and the need for bracing or surgery.
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The hip abductor muscles include the gluteus medius, gluteus minimum, sartorius and tensor fascia latae (TFL) muscles of the buttocks and outer thigh. These muscles move the hip away from you in a sideways direction, which is called hip abduction. When these muscles are tight, it limits your hip mobility.
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Your pelvic floor muscles provides support for your visceral organs, which include the urinary bladder and the lower intestines, according to Anthony Carey, owner and co-founder of San Diego physical-therapy practice Function First. They also control your continence and, in women, assist in birth.
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If your ribs are cracking while stretching, pain is likely present as well. A rib fracture, costochondritis and sprain can all result in cracking if the rib cage is stretched. Consult your doctor for a proper diagnosis and treatment.
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The deltoid is a three-headed muscle that consists of the anterior deltoid, lateral deltoid and the posterior deltoid. The anterior deltoid is involved in many chest-related movements. If this muscle becomes tight, it can alter your posture and can put you at risk for injury.
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If you’re hearing a snapping or popping sound when you stretch your rib cage, it is most likely coming from your sternum, or breast bone. Your first seven ribs are connected to your sternum and held in place by ligaments and cushioned by cartilage, all of which move together when you stretch. According to Drs.
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The tensor fasciae latae muscle, located on the side of your pelvis, helps to stabilize your hip through its connection into a strip of tough connective tissue on your outer thigh called the iliotibial band. Stretching a chronically contracted tensor fasciae latae can help improve the range of motion of your hips.
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Popliteus tendinitis is an inflammation of the tendons surrounding the popliteal muscle. The popliteal muscle is located in the back of the knee. The popliteal muscle can be come aggravated as a result of intense physical activity and is also common in those with frequent ankle sprains. According to MayoClinic.
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Your calf muscles, comprised of the soleus and the gastrocnemius, are important in your bipedal motion. You use them to walk, run and jump. As such integral muscles, they are prone to injury if not properly strengthened and stretched.
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Muscle problems have many possible causes. Inflammation of the muscle, called myositis, causes muscle weakness and wasting. Several types of drugs are linked to the development of myositis in some people.
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If you are experiencing weak leg muscles, contact your doctor to determine the cause. Weak leg muscles can be from over-activity, serious illness, pain or vitamin deficiency. Muscles require nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, protein and adequate fluids to function properly and at optimum levels.
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A variety of conditions can cause red blotches to develop on the legs. Because of the many different disorders that may lead to the development of red blotches on the legs, your health care provider will ask if you are experiencing other symptoms.
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Ear stretching, also known as gauging, has gained popularity in the United States and other Western societies in recent years. In the process of ear stretching, a healed piercing is slowly enlarged using progressively larger pieces of jewelry.
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The clavicle, also called the collarbone, contains a few delicate joints where you shoulders, neck, upper back and chest connect to each other.
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