I get asked all the time, "What stretches can I do so that I can kick like you?" I will make this quick: The key to high kicks is dynamic flexibility and not stretching...but the following is about being flexible to prevent injury.
Stretching and Icing are my least favorite things to do, and unfortunately I have to do them. I have been diagnosed as hyperflexible, which means that I actually have too much flexibility. As a martial-artist you would think this is a blessing, but it has been the cause of many of my injuries. The extra flexibility in my joints has allowed my bones to shift in ways that they should not have.
In addition, being flexible makes stretching extremely boring. The older I get, though, the more I have to stretch. After knee surgery and then back surgery, my hamstrings and lower back have become inflexible. I may be able to do splits three different ways, but I can barely sit and touch my toes with my legs together and knees straight (“pike stretch”). The tighter my hamstrings are, the more my knees and back hurt. I have to stretch so I have the mobility I need in my hamstrings and back.
Sitting in one place, being cold, and being in pain are no fun. These are the reasons that I hate to ice my injuries. But, the more inflammation there is in the joints or back, the more pain I have. Anti-inflammatory medicines are also useful for eliminating swelling, but they are also bad for long-term use. In addition, too much anti-inflammatory meds are bad for the fusion in my lower back. So I have to ice to get the swelling out of my knees and back so that they move the way they are supposed to move.
My goal for this week is to start stretch before and after every workout and to do a couple yoga poses during the day. In addition, I am going to start icing my back 3 times a day. I am not at all excited about this, but I need to do it.
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