Today’s society is plagued by postural imbalances, primarily due to sedentary lifestyles caused by advancements in technology. More people today are speding time in office-related jobs, which require individuals to sit for long hours. More than ever before, flexibility training has become a key component in developing neuromuscular effeciency and decreasing these dysfunctions. Flexibility training may decrease the occurrences of muscle imbalances, joint dysfunctions and overuse injuries. Without optimum levels of flexibility, it may not be possible for clients to achieve their goals without getting injured.
Muscle Imbalances
Muscle imbalances caused by abnormal structural and functional efficiency fo the kinetic chain are alterations in the lengths of the muscles surrounding a given joint, where some are shortened or tight and others may be lengthened, weakened and/or inhibited.
Examples of such imbalances come in the forms of postural distortion patterns: lower-extremity postural distortion, lumbo-pelvic-hip postural distortion and upper-extremity postural distortion
Muscle imbalances can be caused by a variety of mechanisms. These causes may include:
- Postural Stress
- Emotional Duress
- Repetitive Movement
- Cumulative Trauma
- Poor Training Technique
- Lack of Core Strength
- Lack of Neuromuscular Control
- Correcting muscle imbalances
- Increasing joint range of motion
- Decreasing excessive tension of muscles
- Relieving joint stress
- Maintaining the normal functional length of all muscles
- Improving optimum neuromuscular efficiency
- Improving function
- SELF-MYOFASCIAL RELEASE (SMFR), also known as foam rolling
- STATIC STRETCHING
- ACTIVE-ISOLATED STRETCHING
- DYNAMIC STRETCHING
Posture and Movement Assessment
Flexibility Training
Self-Myofascial Release
Benefits of Regular Exercise and Proper Nutrition