On a general note – we should do both as it keeps the muscle fibres strong and allows them to act as necessary for activities.
When injured, it’s difficult to know what to do. Again it depends on whether the injured area is in an acute or a chronic state.
Acute – rest it for a few days until the inflammation calms down. Gently massage and stretch the area to stimulate circulation and ease muscles/tendons. When you find that you can do a little more with the area, you can start strengthening specific muscles.
Chronic – with chronic conditions which have flared up, you wait until the inflammation has calmed as above. With a condition that is becoming increasingly restrictive, the brain tends to disconnect itself from the area of pain as it becomes sensitive to the smallest of activities. One of the first exercises to begin is to awake the proprioceptive nerve endings so there is a feedback of the area to and from the brain. Once this feedback system is working, stretching and strengthening can begin.
As not all the possible conditions can be covered in this small section, you should discuss your particular condition with the Osteopath who will devise an individual programme for you to work through. In principle, the idea is not to over-strain the area and to stretch it off enough to allow regeneration muscles.
