What happens When You Stretch?

"Another reason for holding a stretch for a prolonged period of time is to allow this lengthening reaction to occur,"

This quote demonstrate how, in order to get the most out of your stretches, the positions need to be held for extended periods. If a person does not hold a stretch long enough it does not allow for the lengthening action to occur and the muscle will not be stretched to it's full potential. This quote stood out to me because often time holding stretches can be challenging or uncomfortable but it is important to power through to get the best results. 

"Hence when you stretch, the muscle fiber is pulled out to its full length sarcomere by sarcomere, and then the connective tissue takes up the remaining slack. When this occurs, it helps to realign any disorganized fibers"

When stretching, muscle fibers extend and realigns to maximized postions. Each sarcomere is lengthened which call for increased blood flow to the muscle tissues and can help prevent tears or injuries in sed muscle. Stretching is important down to a microscopic level in order to prime muscles and get them in the best working condition and positions they can be in. 

"When the muscle is stretched, so is the muscle spindle (see section Proprioceptors). The muscle spindle records the change in length (and how fast) and sends signals to the spine which convey this information."

This information is stored and remembered as to help trigger more accurate relax response in the future. The muscle spindle notices the change in the newly stretched muscle and logs this information into the spine, which helps the body update and understand it's limitations. Without this response the body would probably be unaware of the benefits of a stretched muscle. This quote is amazing because it shows how intricate and complex ever microscopic part of the human anatomy is. 

Relate and Review

When a muscle is being stretched, every tiny part is involved. Each individual sarcomere is stretched and its surrounding connective tissue has to pick up the lost slack. The body is rapidly sending signals through the muscle spindle to the spinal cord to help the body have better response to it's new limitations. Stretching is vital for healthy, well circulated muscles and proper stretching technique should be executed. Soft yet tension evoking stretches should be held for extended periods of time to help optimize results and to help avoid muscle related injuries. Stretch reflexes are the bodies reaction to stretches that appear to be harmful or too jarring, and they cause muscles to contract when the body believes its reached its limit. All these tiny reactions are implemented so that the body can function safely and so each muscle isn't over stretched or or extended.