Stretching has long been hailed as the go-to solution for flexibility, but after over 20 years in physical therapy and PT business ownership, I’ve seen the cycle of injury and re-injury. Many end up in surgery, only to find themselves weak and frustrated afterward. It’s clear we need a different approach to break this cycle and help people live life without limits.

In 2020, I developed a new way to test and treat, leading to the creation of Stretch Mobility Coaching Services. This approach proactively tests and treats pain and tightness differently, helping you regain joint mobility and recondition muscles affected by disuse, aging, injury, or disease. 

Flexibility, or the lack thereof, is a distress signal from your body. It indicates that muscles and fascia are tight, leading to deconditioning, joint mobility issues, and potential degenerative changes. These changes can impact your neuromuscular system and often lead to orthopedic surgeries like hip or knee replacements.

Stretching alone often provides temporary relief unless done consistently over long periods while being combined with a proven reconditioning program. Many of you will experience tightness and assume stretching is the solution, but pain and tightness alter the healthy state of your muscles, joints, and nervous system, so stretching will never resolve your flexibility issues. 
Here is why.

Once the body enters a deconditioning cycle, it compensates, leading to injuries and pain. This cycle often begins with flexibility issues and progresses to degenerative changes, commonly seen around age 35 or 40. 

For others this cycle can be initiated by an injury or an underlying genetic disposition.  

Once tightness is initiated in your body, the game changes for treatment. Traditional treatments are geared toward healthy joints and muscles. This is why these treatments will not provide long term results. When you feel the need to stretch or pop a joint, or you feel tight or stiff, these are signs that your body is in a deconditioning state. No amount of stretching will reverse this state. 

Stretching is best utilized before exercise to gain mobility prior to your workout and statically after your healthy muscles are warmed up. Stretching is a restorative technique that helps your muscles recover after sports or a workout. 
Tightness is a signal, stretching is NOT a long term strategy that alters this signal. Only a proven reconditioning program will provide long term relief. 
Finding the cause of your flexibility issue is crucial. A Stretch Mobility Coach can test and build a program to recondition your joint mobility and improve muscle health. Our programs are comprehensive, addressing the underlying reasons behind your flexibility problems. 

Our approach is unique. We test and address flexibility issues at their core, providing treatments typically twice a week until flexibility is restored. This means no more daily stretching routines and more time back in your day. We work closely with other health and wellness providers to ensure that you are getting all of the care you need to reverse pain and tightness for good. The result of our programs are healthy muscles and joints and resolution of tightness and poor flexibility…..long term. 

If you’re ready to resolve your tightness long-term, visit our website to find a coach near you. Stretch Mobility Coaches specialize in testing and treating active deconditioning cycles. During a consultation, you’ll receive joint and muscle health assessments to pinpoint the source of your flexibility problems.