Signs that you're over stretching

Everyone's body is different, especially when it comes down to flexibility. These are tips that I realised particularly with myself, and will share my experiences for anyone experiencing the same thing.

These days, it's becoming very easy to overstretch, and to push your body past its limit.
With that, here are a few things that you can look out for when it comes to overstretching.


1) Arthritis: I actually have arthritis, lots of people have it! Personally, it's not that bad for me, I just have it from stretching my hipflexors a lot. Google may be a little dramatic ;) but there are some extreme cases of arthritis out there!

According to Google,

"Arthritis is the inflammation of one or more joints, causing feelings of pain and stiffness which can worsen with age." 

Some further research to contribute to our Google definition,

• Treatment can help, but this condition can't be cured.
• Requires a medical diagnosis. (In my opinion, yes a medical diagnosis is helpful, I don't think it is required in order to prove you have arthritis. If you face these symptoms it is likely you do have arthritis.)
• Lab tests or imaging often required. (x-rays can be helpful, but honestly sometimes it is quite obvious that you are experiencing arthritis, deffinetly get medical attention for serious scenarios, but speaking from my experience I didn't need that much medical attention. I was fine as long as I knew I could still walk, LOL!)
• Arthritis is considered chronic: it can last for years or be lifelong.

If you want more information about arthritis, I found a helpful link: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.arthritis.org/about-arthritis/understanding-arthritis/what-is-arthritis.php&ved=0ahUKEwiSn6O0_Z_VAhVLOT4KHWuaB0kQFgiDATAC&usg=AFQjCNEGcyjJshFmHQRNHxrLytYIJUqYHQ

Except from link:

"Common arthritis joint symptoms include swelling, pain, stiffness and decreased range of motion. Symptoms may come and go. They can be mild, moderate or severe. They may stay about the same for years, but may progress or get worse over time. Severe arthritis can result in chronic pain, inability to do daily activities and make it difficult to walk or climb stairs. Arthritis can cause permanent joint changes. These changes may be visible, such as knobby finger joints, but often the damage can only be seen on X-ray. Some types of arthritis also affect the heart, eyes, lungs, kidneys and skin as well as the joints"

This article is extremely helpful, and also touches apon different types of arthritis as well. Give it a read! :)

Dancers can get arthritis from stretching out their joints and not strengthening them. You CAN stretch, and become as flexible as your bodu can take. HOWEVER, don't just stretch your limbs out, it will make them incredibly weak. Whilst stretching, ALWAYS work on strengthening your joints as well. This is a great way to avoiding things such as arthritis.

With that, I've got you covered with a wonderful article I found on how to strengthen your joints:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.livestrong.com/article/173684-how-to-strengthen-joints-ligaments/&ved=0ahUKEwjWyYL_hKDVAhXMaT4KHfMODqoQFghPMAs&usg=AFQjCNEp3ELjL22l8TdhaIQFm76ocCoW7g

Excerpt from the article:

"the muscular system and brain coordinate the active support of joints. Together, the active and passive subsystems of the body provide the ability to swing a golf club, sprint up a hill, or ride your bicycle without injuring your body. As a great deal of stress is applied across joints of active people, it is wise to work to strengthen joints and ligaments"

If you've already been diagnosed, or you suspect that you are, I found a link that provides exercise you can do to treat and improve your arthritis.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/exercise-treat-arthritis&ved=0ahUKEwj25rK1_J_VAhUBRj4KHaf2A_YQFghoMA0&usg=AFQjCNGgGaPYW78uO1AgpUqnXN1YcllqAg

An excerpt from the site:

"Range-of-motion exercises (also called stretching or flexibility exercises) help maintain normal joint function by increasing and preserving joint mobility and flexibility. In this group of exercises, gently straightening and bending the joints in a controlled manner as far as they comfortably will go can help condition the affected joints. During the course of a range-of-motion exercise program, the joints are stretched progressively farther until normal or near-normal range is achieved and maintained. This helps to maintain comfort while function is preserved."

This is also a very helpful article. It talk about how to treat a specific tupe of at arthritis, rather just giving general advice.

Lastly, to talk about my own experience with arthritis. Having arthritis is normal for me, it sounds weird, I know! But there are days when my arthritis can flare up, and says where it's died down. But all in all, I know it sounds scary but most cases of arthritis are not all that bad. There are very few people I know that actually suffer chronical experience with it.

Stay tuned for more tips on over stretching! I hope you learned something from today's post. :) If you have questions, feedback, or you want to share your own experiences, be sure to leave a comment.

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