By: John Kline, PT, DPT, CSCS, FAFS

Do you find that when you stretch, you lack the stability and/or balance to hold the stretch you are attempting to complete? Or, do you find that you cannot find a way to get the deep stretch you are looking for? A stretch cage is a tool that allows you to achieve a deep, multi-planar stretch because of the added stability it provides.

If you walk into any Spooner clinic, you will see stretch cages. This is a tool that all Spooner therapists, trainers, and coaches use for your benefit.

Stability

The goal of a stretch is to improve your range of motion by allowing a muscle to elongate and relax. If you are unstable while you are stretching, your muscle will fail to relax and will continue to stay engaged and tight. Having multiple points of contact, like the steel rungs in the stretch cage, allows you to relax deeper into the stretch by providing added stability.

The stretch cage is set up specifically to give you multiple points of stability. You can opt to have as many points of contact as you want during your stretch, and you can adjust it based on your goal. For example, if you are performing a hip flexor stretch, you will start by having one foot elevated in front of the other. For varying degrees of stability, you can either put two hands, one hand or no hands on the bars of the cage.

A Deeper, Multi-planar Stretch

You want to stretch your muscles in all three planes of motion. Your muscles have depth and width as well as length, so changing positions to ensure a complete stretch is important. Moving your center of mass to be able to stretch in all three planes is one way to do this and requires increased stability.

The hip flexor stretch, as mentioned above, is a predominately sagittal plane stretch. If you want to move into the frontal plane to get a deeper stretch, left to right pelvic drivers will help accomplish this. If you want to move into the transverse plane, try rotating your hips. All of these movements are difficult to accomplish without added stability.

Read Game Ready: Get a Leg Up on the Competition for more information on moving in 3 planes of motion.

Spooner therapists, trainers, and coaches utilize the stretch cages to help you accomplish your movement goals. Whether you need to get a deeper stretch, or if you need added stability with an exercise, we utilize the stretch cage to help you move and feel your best.

Schedule an appointment with a Spooner therapist today!