Is Overstretching (Contortion) Actually Bad for You?
Updated: Oct 16
A lot of the time, I see people on social media overstretching themselves, often in ways that almost nobody else can do. I myself am a contortionist and understand the physical demanding flexibility and strength that is needed. My main logo is attached to a flexibility position, which is actually me. My website has some flexibility pictures that I include. The reason I do this is to show the range of motion in general, because it shows that achieving that range of motion is done correctly in good form and safely. These are also really important aspects of The Mobility Clinic. In this sense, the main goal of The Mobility Clinic is not for everyone to get super flexible, it’s to understand and learn how to achieve that range of motion safely for the activities that you do. However, if you do activities where extreme/high ranges of motion are required for you, this will definitely help you and is for you so read below.
Overstretching in this case, is a term that means to stretch (muscles) too much or too hard, according to Dictionary.com. Naturally you do probably overstretch (like oversplits, needle) or even something less intense that feels intense to you.
Make sure to warm up your body a little bit (warm up the warm up!) even if it’s stretching. This is something a lot of people miss, and it's a lot common for someone to make a stretch without thinking much about it. This warm up should focus on dynamic ranges of motion, like circling your leg and arms. Using a roller is also a great way to get started too.
The balancing muscle with stretching ends up becoming a bit unbalanced. Muscle is always a good addition in flexibility, but the amount of muscle often won’t “fully” balance everything with the flexibility.
When picking something up off the floor or anywhere else, do not flop/jerk your body down completely to pick up that item with your legs straight. This is a really common way that leads to joint instability. A simple way to fix this is to have a slight bend in your legs before doing so. A picture below is there to visualize the situation.
Don't force flexibility if your muscles aren't ready for it. This is controlled by the nervous system, the spinal cord, and balance (with the help of your ears). (Click here to learn more about it) Allow the nervous system to visualize and feel comfortable, which is one way to actually get more flexible in a safer way. This can take time for improvement, so be patient to yourself! For beginners, doing flexibility exercises with rapid movements is something that is not good because it can cause stress curves.
According to Tim Wood healthcare, they said that "Tightness in one area is often linked to weakness or restriction elsewhere. For instance, hamstring tension may come from instability in the pelvis or limited movement in the lower back." Sometimes, when one part of the body isn't as "unlocked" as another, it creates a balance, which can cause injury. Keep all parts of the body balanced as much as possible in terms of flexibility.
When completing an advanced pose, do not put pressure on your joints. In an example, chest stands shouldn't have more pressure on your chin bone. The weight should be shifted onto the chest.
What happens if I don't stretch right for a
prolonged period of time?
There can be many causes that can happen, but in our body, we have tendons, ligaments, fibers (hyaline cartilage, fibro cartilage, elastic cartilage). These help to create smooth movement and have good functioning in out body. When excessive stretching in an unsafe way is done, it weakens the fibers within the connective tissue and joints (joint laxity). In this sense, the nervous system actually tries to control the surronding muscles, tightening up to protect the area. When muscles contract to stabilize the joints (that are now loose), tendons (muscle-bone) are put in a senario where it may increase teh risk of micro tears or tendonitis.
Contortion/overstretching can be something scary. Even though its not a sport, it should be taken just as serious as a team sport. Overstretching is definently not good for you, but you can approach it safe in the right way to prevent injury. Stretching definently isn't a sollution to all joint related issues. You should definently consult with a medical professional if you haven't been feeling well while overstretching.
Thanks for reading again with me :)
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