Written by Dan Focht, MA, OTR, Tri-State Occupational Health

With the coming of warmer weather, budding trees and flowers the beckoning call of spring will bring many of us (some never will) out of our winter sanctuaries/caves and back to the great outdoors. This time of the year also heralds the opening of one of America’s greatest past-times – BASEBALL. Be it major leagues, minor leagues, or a good ole’ soft ball game at the neighborhood park, many of us will be asking certain body parts to move, in ways they haven’t for months. To soften the blow, and to hopefully prevent an untimely visit to your local orthopedist, a brief look at some common sense, but important, pre-season warm-up hints may be in order.

Stretching is a topic I am sure that most of us have heard about. The portly, but sports minded president Howard Taft started a bit of a stretching tradition in 1910 when he arose from his narrow, and uncomfortable wooden chair to stretch during a major league baseball game. It was the middle of the 7th inning and as he arose the crowd took note, thinking that he was making his exit. The president, honored by the attention completed his long-drawn out stretch, acknowledged the crowd with a tip of his hat, and took to his seat once again. The crowd did the same, but with the notoriety of the event, a new tradition was born. Now anyone who has been to a ball-game knows of this tradition, even if they don’t know the words to “Take me out to the ball game” (i.e. Ozzie Osbourne). It’s a welcomed part of the game when you can stand and stretch and don’t have to worry about someone behind you screaming “hey, you down in front”

Stretching feels good, it’s something we all do, most of us, unconsciously. The benefits of stretching include:

1. maintaining flexibility of the joint and surrounding soft tissue (tendons and ligaments)
2. countering the ill affects of muscle imbalance due to poor posturing,
3. reduction of pain—particularly of the lower back, and
4. making our movement patterns more fluid and controlled. There has been research that discredits some of these claims but the vast majority of experts agree that whether you are a professional athlete or a 40 hour per week office worker, everyone benefits from a regular stretching routine. The problem arises however, when we do it at the wrong time, the wrong way, and to the wrong muscle groups.

Contrary to what you might have been told by your high school gym teacher, stretching is not the first thing you do prior to beginning a work out or activity. It’s best to warm up first with a brisk walk, stair climb, or whatever you may have at your disposal. The idea is to get blood flowing from the abdominal organs and spleen to the muscles that are going to be stretched. If you’re sitting in a static position for long periods of time (data entry, secretarial, or clerical work) a walk wouldn't be necessary but a general shake down of the arms or legs would do. Just get the blood flowing.

Now that you’ve prepared for the stretch you’ll need to know some ground rules. Some of these would include:

• Stretch as many of the major muscle groups as you can. Mix it up. The stretches that appear in this article are ones that can be easily performed on the job and would only take a few minutes out of your work day.
• Hold each stretch for at least 15 seconds, 30 is even better. It also helps to use deep breathing techniques to facilitate the relaxation response and optimize the affect of each stretch. Do not hold your breath.
• Don’t bounce (ballistic stretch). Ease slowly into each stretch and take it to your comfortable limit-stretch into a mild feeling of increased tension. Do not stretch into pain.
• Let your mind slow down. Stress is a big enough part of our day. We can allot a part of our day and existence to reflection and just “mellow”.

Below are some stretches that depict a general - whole body effort. It by no means represents a comprehensive work out. Some conditions require a specific stretching regimen, but these can be prescribed by your primary therapist. These stretches address the major muscle groups, and joints that typically require attention—on a day-to-day basis.

Give each a try. Remember, start slowly and do not stretch into pain. If you are reluctant, due to a pre-existing orthopedic condition, please consult your physician before you implement any stretching program. Otherwise, enjoy yourself, have a great spring, and PLAAAAAAAAAY BALL!