We all know the importance of warming up before physical activity. Whether you are going for a run, lifting weights in the gym or hitting the field for a footy game. A warm-up has long been part of an athlete’s pre-game routine to help increase performance and decrease injury potential.

A good warm up has been recommended to prepare the body for action by increasing muscle temperature and priming both the cardiovascular and neuromuscular systems. Traditionally, a warm up has included some form of light aerobic exercise like jogging followed by a few minutes of static stretching. In recent years there has been much research done in the field of stretching and the results are very interesting.

In the past, stretching was considered an important part of all warm-up routines to improve range of motion and flexibility and decrease the chance of injury. Static stretching which consists of stretching individual muscles or muscle groups to the point of slight discomfort and holding for 15-30 seconds was the preferred choice. Today there is a shift towards a more active approach known as dynamic stretching that involves movements through the full functional range of joint motion in a controlled and coordinated manor. Dynamic stretching more closely resembles the movements we perform during physical activity and doesn’t involve an isolated hold.

The emergence of CrossFit, gymnastic strength training and obstacle course racing has seen a huge growth in the number of people discovering just how important a general movement practice is. It’s long been the domain of the dancers, yogis and pilateistas but now people who want to move well for health and sports performance are discovering the benefits of great mobility.

At Village Chiropractic we view movement like you might look at food. We need a good variety and we need it regularly. For our clients that mean stretching, strengthening, moving fast, moving slow and balancing.

We believe that there is no bad movement only bad dosage of movement.

Injuries to your body and even organ dysfunction may be attributed to not moving well. An assessment in our practice may be a good place to start your healthy movement journey. First move well, then move often.