When patients suffer muscle injury, the muscle tends to tighten causing pain and affecting other tissues. Stretching may ease that pain and prevent tightened muscles from adversely affecting other tissues.

In cases involving chronic joint pain due to old injuries, degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis) or deconditioning, stretching may help the patient regain motion and function with less pain. Your Doctor or therapist stretches the muscles that are limiting range of motion in the same way the athletic trainer working with the top superstars of sport today would stretch them.