The expression ‘walk it off’ represents the epitome of manliness when it comes to pain and injury. Many men do not want to run to the doctor’s office every time they happen to have a little ‘boo-boo’ or ‘ouchy’ and they do not want to resort to popping pain meds. The fact is that not every crook in your neck or knee calls for a CAT scan and there are some pains that Tylenol just cannot fix try stretching for pain relief instead.
Surprisingly, stretching can go a long way to relive pain and often works faster and better than any other method used. Stretching may be a bit more of an involved method than ‘walking it off’ but it is free, comes with no weird side effects, and men can still look cool while doing it. Here are some methods of stretching for pain relief that focus on pains in the knees, neck, and back.
The knees are a common location for injury and many pro sports players have been put out of work because of a knee injury from which they could not recover. When doing stretches for knees or any other part of the body it is important not to go beyond your limits, but work slowly and gradually. There are two suggested stretching relief for knee pain and the one you choose depends on the severity of the pain you have.
One method of stretching the knee is to simply do a squat. When you bend your knees and go down, stay there and bounce up and down. This stretch is best for those whose knee pain is bothersome, but not too severe. Those with more severe knee pain can stretch by sitting on the floor, extending their legs straight in front of them and try to touch their toes. During this stretch, try to keep the legs as straight as possible stretching for pain relief.
The neck is one area of the body where even people who do not know the benefits of stretching seem to do it instinctually. For some people, stretching the neck is the same type of habit as popping the knuckles except neck stretching is much healthier. When there is a crook or other pain in your neck, relax your shoulders and lean your head to one side and then the other. Try to touch the ear to the shoulder but be sure not to bring the shoulder up to touch the ear. Also use the same principles to go front and back. Neck circles are also very helpful for stretching for pain relief.
Finally, the back is one of the most problematic areas on the body when it comes to pain. This is because it is easy to misuse the back and experience pain. Plus, many experience back pain just because their abdominal muscles are out of shape. It is also important to stretch with caution when doing a stretch for back pain as you do not want to cause further damage. A stretch for the back can be as simple as a toe-touch. However, if you cannot touch your toes, lean up against a wall, bring you knee as close to your chest as you can, then hold the knee with your hands and try to pull it up even higher when stretching for pain relief
There are many reasons why men experience pain in their knees, neck, and back. These stretches are meant to help, but if there is a serious injury there could be more damage than benefit from stretching. If you are not sure of the extent of the damage done to these areas, try these stretches by moving extremely slow. Pain that is extremely unbearable and that lasts for several days may require the assistance of professional medical personnel.
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