When muscles are foreshortened from overuse the stage has been set for an injury to occur.
Injury Prevention
When muscles are foreshortened from overuse or taught from being placed in a reciprocal over lengthening, the stage has been set for an injury to occur. Micro tearing at the tendonous attachment sites, the musculotendinous junction, or in the muscle belly has an increased possibility to occur when a strong load is placed on the tissues.
Maintaining a healthy balance in the muscles and optimal tensions in the tendons, ligaments, and connective tissues will prevent load-bearing and overuse injuries from happening.
Optimal Performance
As a formula 1 car has been properly prepared for and maintained during a race, so too, is the care and maintenance needed of your physical body vehicle. There are many factors that go into, and are a part of, a peak performance on your event day.
A strong muscle needs to also be a long muscle. A shortened muscle will ultimately restrict its own blood supply thereby limiting nutrition and trapping waste, which will create weakness and fatigue.
Supple muscles allow blood to flow unimpeded so the necessary nutrition makes it to the muscles and carries away the waste.
Injury Recovery
It is not uncommon for injuries to occur while training when ramping up with longer distances and increased speed. Preventive bodywork and practices can help however they can still happen. When it does, healing therapies and techniques can support your body healing faster and with integrity.
Common injuries can be in the tendons at their attachment sites (tendons attach muscles to the bones). This can happen when a muscle becomes foreshortened and the pulling force begins to tear the tendon away from the bone or micro-tearing in the tendon fibers happens (example of tennis elbow). Shin splints come from a combination of foreshortening and a load-bearing shockwave to create micro-tearing where the tibialis anterior and/or posterior attach to the interosseous membrane. In an example of an ankle sprain, foreshortened tibialis anterior and posterior can invert the foot predisposing for the twist.
Specific techniques, at the right time, to the related muscles, tendons, ligaments, and fascia, can aid healing quickly and optimally so you can resume your activity without compromise.