6.5: Flexibility and Aging

For many college students, maintaining long-term flexibility is not a concern. For young adults, bending over to tie their shoes is painless. Walking around campus with a backpack requires minimal effort. However, a person’s range of motion declines with age. Simple activities like rotating the head and neck to glance over the shoulders,getting in and out of a vehicle, or carrying groceries can become painful. Therefore, flexibility is critical in maintaining a high quality of life throughout the aging process.

The Inactivity-Mobility Cycle

Anyone who has suffered an injury and had to wear a splint, cast, or brace to immobilize a joint knows how important mobility is to overall health. Unfortunately, when the joints’ range of motion becomes restricted by arthritis or other injuries, activity declines. As activity declines, the range of motion continues to diminish as a result of inactivity, and a vicious cycle ensues. A simple stretching program can help alleviate this problem and break the cycle.

Creating an Effective Stretching Program

In order to create an effective stretching program, you first need to evaluate your current flexibility status by assessing various joints’ range of motion. A popular flexibility assessment is the sit-and-reach test. The sit-and-reach test assesses your hamstring and lower back flexibility. Another method of assessing flexibility is using a goniometer. A goniometer can be used to assess the range of motion in your ankles, knees, hips, neck, and shoulders. There are many ways to assess flexibility. These are just a few examples.

Setting Flexibility Goals

Once you determine which of your joints are the most and least flexible, you can set some realistic goals to improve or maintain your range of motion. Be specific when you set goals. Instead of just saying, “I want to increase my flexibility,” identify the specific area of the body you intended to improve. You will also want to make sure your goal can be measured. A better way to state your goal is, “I will improve my sit-and-reach score by 4 cm by the end of the semester.” Notice this goal, as stated, includes a specific area, is measurable, and includes a deadline. By stating your goal properly, you will increase the likelihood of achieving it.

Applying the F.I.T.T. Principle for Flexibility

When designing a flexibility program, use the F.I.T.T. Principle (Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type). Your flexibility program should include multiple stretching exercises that target all major joints, including the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, trunk, hips, knees, and ankles.After selecting your exercise, follow the recommendations below when performing your routine:

Frequency: At least 2-3 times per week, ideally 5-7 days per week. Daily stretching is most effective.

Intensity: Stretch to the point of tightness or mild discomfort.

Time (duration of each stretch): Stretch for a minimum of 10 seconds for very tight muscles with an emphasis on progressing 30-90 seconds. Complete two to four repetitions of each stretch.

Type (mode): Select the technique that best suits your circumstances: static, dynamic, ballistic, or PNF.

When to Stretch

Although stretching can be done any time, the ACSM traditionally recommends that flexibility training be incorporated into the warm up or cool down phase of an exercise session. Recent studies suggest that stretching before an exercise session will compromise the force-producing capabilities of muscles and should be avoided. Therefore, it is recommended that stretching be restricted to after the warm-up or workout, when the temperature of the body and muscles has increased. Additional evidence pertaining to this concept shows that applying heat packs for 20 minutes to increase muscle temperature can increase hamstring flexibility more so than 30 seconds of static stretching. These findings confirm that temperature also plays a significant role in muscle range of motion.

Stretching Safely

In addition to warming up your muscles before performing stretching exercises, additional precautions can be taken to ensure the safety of your routine. When muscles are stretched quickly and forcefully, the stretch reflex can be activated. This creates significant tension because the muscle fibers will not only be stretching but also attempting to contract. As mentioned previously, this is one of the reasons ballistic stretching may not be suitable for everyone. To avoid this, stretch slowly and in a controlled fashion while holding the stretch for 10 seconds or more.

Most joints you use during exercise are synovial joints, which have synovial fluid in the joint space between two bones. Exercise and stretching may also have a beneficial effect on synovial joints. Synovial fluid is a thin, but viscous film with the consistency ofegg whites. When you first get up and start moving, your joints feel stiff for a number of reasons. After proper stretching and warm-up, the synovial fluid may become less viscous, allowing for better joint function.

Research indicates that some stretches are contraindicated, which means they are not recommended because they provide little to no benefit and may cause injury. To avoid injury, it is important to consider personal limitations before performing a stretch exercise.

Flexibility Testing

The first step in creating a successful flexibility program is to assess your own flexibility. Follow the links below for instructions on how you can perform these assessments.

Flexibility and Mobility Testing