What is the reason my pain and exhaustion are not improving?
I'm having a physical problem for about 4 years by now that's really making walking or just standing insufferable (even for a few seconds). I can't do any fitness and it really messes my physical health up (e.g. I even have a hard time going to bed because I'm so far from being exhausted at the end of the day). So I went to a lot of doctors over the years and I've been suggested to strengthen a specific area of my legs by doing stretches.
My issue is that no matter how much time passes which in I'm doing the stretches which my physiotherapist told me to do, I see no improvement whatsoever.
So walking doesn't hurt any less than before, and I can't stretch my legs any more than I could months ago or before I even started.
In order to avoid my question being too localized, I'm simply asking what should you do when you exercise and see no benefit at all and why could that happen.
P.S. Should it matter: some hours after stretching I feel like the area I've been stretching is actually extremely tensed. Is it normal or an indicator I'm doing something wrong?
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If you are doing stretches and aren't seeing progress, then there are a few possibilities:
Not stretching long/frequently enough.
Stretching with bad form.
Stretching wrong area.
Let's start with #1 . You need to be holding stretches long enough for the body to actually adjust to the change. I would say 30-60 seconds at least.
With #2 , there are a whole slew of reasons you may be using bad form. For example, do a glute bridge and feel your hamstrings. If they are super tense and tight, then your glutes are not being properly engaged; if the muscles are loose then you are properly engaging your glutes to hold the position. This is just one example on how you can do a stretch but not properly engage the muscles you are trying to stretch.
For #3 , often times we get caught up in trying to stretch the areas where the pain is localized. You need to take a step back, though, and see exactly why that part of the body is in pain or needs stretching. Often times, pain or tightness in one area is a result of one or several imbalances somewhere else in the body. For example, a weak abdominal core can cause poor hip flexion by not providing proper stability, which in turn can causes the hips to get tighter to provide stability lacking from the core, which in turn causes the quads to be more active than hamstrings during exercise, which in turn causes excess stress on the knee. So how do you fix the knee pain? You could stretch the quads, or the hips, but neither of which addresses the root problem -- poor core stability -- so the knee pain will persist.
There is a very interesting article on t-nation about how stretching doesn't work. While I don't agree with the premise, the article does raise a few good solutions which you should take to heart. If nothing else, I would recommend watching the first embedded video in it, as it is very informative.
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