How Does Flexibility Work?
Have you ever wondered how dancers become so flexible? It’s not a gift they’re born with. Rather, it’s a skill that can be learned. The available range of motion of a joint depends on three things: joint structure, muscles, and the nervous system.
Joint Structure
First, let’s explore joint structure. The joints in our body are all shaped differently. For example, the hip and shoulder are ball and socket joints, and the knee and ankle are hinge joints. The shape of our joints influence their ROM (range of motion.)
Also, everyone’s bones are shaped differently. For example, one dancer may be able to effortlessly go into the pancake splits, but for another, no matter how long they stretch, they may never be able to fully achieve the pancake splits. It’s important to recognize this and to work with our own body’s individual ROM.
Muscles
What does it mean when a muscle is “tight?” A tight muscle means it’s resisting being lengthened. When we stretch, we are not lengthening the muscles permanently. We are only improving our muscles’ ability to tolerate being stretched. This is why consistency in stretching matters. We need to build tolerance in our tissues so that they become less resistant and more adapted to their lengthened position.
Nervous System
This aspect of flexibility is often overlooked. Our nervous system is the part of our body that “gives us permission” to lengthen a muscle and increase ROM of a joint. Our muscles contain sensors called “muscle spindles” which detect if our muscles are lengthening too far or too fast. If they detect this, they trigger a response to contract – telling your nervous system it might not be safe to go into these positions.
How Do We Bypass this Safety Mechanism?
Firstly, we must be grateful this safety mechanism exists – it has probably saved us from countless injuries in the past. However, if we also want to work on our flexibility gains, we must work with the body and nervous system in order to gently, over time, create safety in these lengthened positions.
So how do we achieve this?
- Never stretch cold. This is just asking for an injury and usually non-effective.
- Always warm up before stretching. Raising body temperature allows blood to flow to our tissues. This allows for effective stretching with a reduced risk of injury.
- Once warm, you can begin stretching. You want to aim to hold a stretch (while breathing) for about 30 seconds to create a change in the ROM of the joint over time. It’s important not to rush this part. Flexibility is achieved slowly with consistency over time. Consistency should always be practiced over intensity.
It’s important to note that flexibility without strength is just instability. It’s important to build strength and stability alongside a stretching practice. Overall, flexibility is not only about muscle length. It’s about the body’s nervous system allowing increased ROM based on its ability to feel safe in these positions. This is achieved by a consistent, gentle stretching practice generally aiming for about 30 seconds in each stretch (after a proper warm up.) Flexibility is also greatly influenced by one’s own individual joint structure. It’s also important to note that the topic of flexibility is highly complex, and this article only scratches the surface.
Flexibility is not about achieving an “Instagrammable splits.” It’s about gently working with your own body, listening to your body, and consistently over time achieving changes in muscle length and joint ROM.
Meet the Author
Aimée Machiels is a certified STOTT Pilates mat instructor with over 20 years of experience teaching dance & movement. Born & raised in Hawaii, she grew up dancing Hula competitively before training in bellydance & Classical Odissi Dance.
She spent eight years performing professionally in Japan working with wedding & corporate clients until a knee injury redirected her path. Pilates became her rehabilitation – healing her knee & allowing her to return to dance.
Now, she is dedicated to sharing Pilates’ healing benefits with others. Aimée creates a warm, welcoming environment where students of all levels & abilities feel supported, offering modifications for those managing vulnerabilities & injuries. Aimée believes Pilates builds correct biomechanics, core strength, stability, & body awareness – tools that reduce injury risk & free us from pain.
Sources:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9327823/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27472859/
