Understanding the difference between dynamic and static stretching is essential for improving muscle elasticity and preventing injury. Discover targeted stretches for tight hamstrings and learn how to safely relieve a stiff neck or heel cord tension.
The pectoralis minor is a small, triangle-shaped muscle located on the outer side of your upper chest. It connects your third, fourth and fifth ribs to the top of your shoulder blade and functions to stabilize the shoulder blade.
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If you hear or feel a snapping, popping sound from your hip when walking or standing up, you may have snapping hip syndrome. The snapping is the result of a muscle, tendon or muscle fibers moving over the bony hip points on the front, back and outer surface of the thigh.
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The subscapularis is among the four muscles the rotator cuff. It originates on the anterior surface of the scapula and inserts into the top of the humerus -- the upper arm bone. Together with the other rotator cuff muscles, the subscapularis maintains the integrity of the shoulder joint.
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Muscle knots can form in your neck as a result of tension or inflammation in your neck or shoulder muscles. Your neck may feel tight and difficult to move. In most cases, knots aren't a cause for major concern, though they can cause you a considerable amount of discomfort.
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Ankle pain is any condition that causes discomfort in one or both of your ankles. Ankle pain can be the result of a sprain or fracture, but you also can experience ankle pain as the result of infection, arthritis or gout.
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When a joint in your spine moves while you stretch or during spinal manipulation, you may hear a cracking noise. This sound is harmless, although manipulating your joints to make them crack can sometimes cause joint irritation.
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A clicking hip, also referred to as Snapping Hip Syndrome, is normally not a serious condition, but it can cause some discomfort or annoyance. A clicking or snapping hip is most often caused by the crossing of a muscle or tendon over a bony structure. If there is no pain, then there is really no need for treatment.
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The rhomboid muscles of the upper back are responsible for pulling your shoulders backward, as you might do if you were standing at attention. Excessive contraction of these muscles can lead to tension in the upper back.
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When you breathe in, your lungs expand and the intercostal muscles, which connect one rib to another, lengthen. If your intercostals are tight, movement of your rib cage might be limited, which can affect your ability to breathe comfortably and efficiently.
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Numbness in the upper left part of the back can be more than just worrisome, it can also be frustrating and debilitating. Because it can signal a serious medical condition that requires a doctor’s attention, it is important to understand why back numbness can occur — and what you can do to treat it.
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It is always important to include stretching as part of your total fitness plan. Regular stretching not only helps to prevent muscle stiffness and soreness after a workout, but it also offers many other impressive benefits.
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Whether dancing to classical, modern, jazz or hip-hop music, dancers require a tremendous amount of strength and flexibility to bring the music to life through their bodies.
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Your core consists of the muscles within your abdomen, hips and lower back. These muscles support your pelvic girdle and spine, and facilitate movements of your hips and torso. Performing stretching exercises that target the core muscles may increase flexibility and enhance muscular function.
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Many common ailments, such as cramping, get confused with muscle strains, warns registered massage therapist Paul Ingraham. The difference with a pulled muscle, also known as a muscle strain, is that you feel it immediately after exercising and it affects just one muscle.
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Dynamic arm stretches involve gentle bouncing or swinging movements meant to force your elbow, shoulder or wrist joints past their normal ranges of motion, according to The Stretching Institute.
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Just as you monitor your child's academic progress and social development, you also need to keep an eye on her fitness level. Along with strength and endurance, flexibility is a key component of fitness.
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The muscles that run along the sides of your waist, the obliques, allow you to bend sideways and rotate your trunk. When these muscles are tight, it can inhibit your performance in sports requiring overhead hitting as well as cause a misalignment of the spine to the right or left.
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If you’re suffering from upper back and neck pain, the chances are that the pain has been caused by tight muscles. Sitting too long in one spot -- or sitting or standing hunched forward -- even some forms of exercise, can cause your muscles to ache.
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When you've pushed your body harder, exercised longer or performed some type of new resistance training, you'll probably feel at least a bit of soreness in the following days. You may be tempted to stretch those muscles to ease some of that pain, but that could be a waste of time.
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Your gluteus minimus muscles can become strained through overuse, often due to muscle imbalances in the legs and hips. Stretching the gluteus minimus lengthens the muscles to release tension so that the muscles can resume their proper length.
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