Published: 2010-03-10 20:31:43
Author: Jeffrey Miller | Dynamic Chiropractic | February 12, 2010
This article is the second in a series on successful rehabilitation and focuses on three fitness activities that are often minimized or completely overlooked: warming up, stretching and cooling down.
While they are often considered important for working out or training, they are also vital to the overall rehabilitation process.
Recovering patients and even elite athletes often skip these activities and go straight to their primary workout. The activities are slow, tedious, and they do prolong an exercise session. For those who are already less than thrilled to be exercising, warming up, stretching and cooling down are not popular. However, the importance of these activities cannot be overlooked. They have specific functions and aid in the success of any exercise/rehabilitation program, regardless of the goals and intensity of the program.
Warming Up
There are two types of warm-ups: general and specific. General warm-up is for the entire body and is not the focus of a particular event or sport. In patient rehabilitation, general warm-up is preferred and is typically achieved by walking, jogging slowly or riding a stationary bicycle. Five to 10 minutes of one of these activities readies the patient/athlete for exercise by slowly increasing heart rate, blood flow, muscle temperature, respiration rate, perspiration and the viscosity of joint fluid.
Specific warm-up uses the movements that will be used in the exercise or sport. An example of specific warm-ups can be seen prior to most baseball games. The majority of running in baseball involves short sprints between bases or to field a ball. Players can be seen running short sprints prior to a game, usually at a slower speed than they would during the game. Swinging a bat in the on-deck circle prior to an at-bat is another example of a specific warm-up exercise. Players are using the muscles they will use in competition, but in slower and less forceful ways.
As stated above, general warm-up is preferred for rehabilitation of the average patient. Doctors working with a more accomplished athlete will probably want to employ both methods of warm-up to maximize results.
Stretching
Stretching of muscles, tendons and joints is important. Many claim it helps prevent injury or re-injury. Some claim there is no conclusive proof of this; however, this author takes the side that it helps and certainly cannot hurt if performed correctly. Stretching can be performed prior to warming up, after warming up or during cooldown. It can also be performed independently of any exercise session. Once again taking sides, this author prefers stretching after warming up.
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