The best treatment for tendinitis is time. Unfortunately, this is something that many people are unable to give to an injury. When tendinitis develops, the best thing to do is use ice and relax that part of the body. Taking a few days off practice or away from your workout may be sufficient, but in other vases, this may require a few days in a wheelchair or on crutches, with bulk of your weight off of the affected area.

The likelihood of sustaining an injury increases when your muscles are tense or tight. When you stretch, you are helping your body in loosening up your muscles, increasing your range of motion, and improving your balance.

The more you condition your muscles, joints, and ligaments, the greater advantage you’ll have in any physical activity you decide to participate in. Whether you’re a committed athlete or someone simply trying to add more physical activity into your daily life, stretching can help in greatly improving your performance.

When a physical therapist talks about your “range of motion,” they are referring to the extent that you are able to move your joints in all directions. Your range of motion impacts every movement you make, so one of the many goals of a physical therapist is to make sure you have the best range of motion possible for your abilities.

Stretching plays a large role in benefitting your heart and your musculoskeletal system. In fact, it plays a large role in almost every aspect of your physical abilities. When muscles are tight, they constrict your amount of available oxygen supply and your muscles are essentially left deprived of the necessary nutrients they need.

Our bodies are incredibly interconnected. While some stretches may seem obvious (for example, stretching your back to relieve back pain), sometimes stretching certain parts of your body can provide relief in areas you may not have expected. In that same back pain scenario, it is indeed obvious that some back stretches are needed.

One of the most important parts of a physical therapy treatment plan is stretching. A physical therapist will incorporate targeted stretches into each treatment plan they design, in order to target problem areas for their patients. While strength and endurance exercises are also incredibly important, stretching can be especially helpful in helping a patient manage their aches and pains.