Hokuryu Town Healthy Course "Learn some easy stretches you can do at home" by Dr. Hikaru Tanimoto, Director of Hokuryu Himawari Osteopathic Clinic

December 23, 2024
special feature article, Hokuryu Sunflower Osteopathic Clinic, Hokuryu Town Hall
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Monday, December 23, 2024

On Wednesday, December 18th, from 1:30pm to 3:00pm, a "Healthy Lecture" to prevent lifestyle-related diseases was held at the Kitaryū Town Health Center.

"Learn some easy stretches you can do at home" by Dr. Hikaru Tanimoto, Director of Hokuryu Himawari Osteopathic Clinic

The December course is an exercise class titled "Learn easy stretches you can do at home" taught by Dr. Hikaru Tanimoto, director of Kitaryu Himawari Osteopathic Clinic.

About 15 energetic townspeople participated in this course, where they heard a theoretical talk on the purpose, effects, and types of stretching, and then practiced several different types of stretching to slowly move their bodies.

"Hokuryu Town Healthy Lecture" hosted by the Town Hall Resident Affairs Division

The "Healthy Course" is a course sponsored by the Care Prevention Section of the Hokuryu Town Hall's Resident Affairs Division, where participants learn about healthy lifestyle habits.

This year, the course is being held four times, and this is the second lecture following the "High Blood Pressure Talk" by Public Health Nurse Ohira in November.

Following this, in January 2025, a nutrition course entitled "To prevent high blood pressure: Learn how to reduce salt intake" will be held by nutritionist Sugiyama Eriko, followed in February by a nutrition course entitled "To prevent high blood pressure: Learn about a balanced diet" by nutritionist Sugiyama Eriko.

Organized by: Hokuryu Town Hall, Resident Affairs Division, Nursing Care Prevention Section; Chair: Eriko Sugiyama, Nutritionist

Profile of Dr. Hikaru Tanimoto, Director of Hokuryu Himawari Osteopathic Clinic

March 1987: Graduated from Shinryu Elementary School (Youth Baseball Team)
March 1990: Graduated from Hokuryu Junior High School (Baseball Club)
March 1993: Graduated from Fukagawa Nishi High School (long distance track and field club)
March 1995: Graduated from Sapporo Social Sports College (now Hokkaido Sports College)
April 1995: Worked at Yoshida Gakuen (until March 2013)
June 1996: Completed the Lake Saroma 100km Ultra Marathon
October 2002: Certified athletic trainer by the Japan Sports Association
March 2009: Graduated from Hokkaido Judo Therapy College and obtained a license to practice Judo Therapy.
May 2013: Opened Hokuryu Himawari Osteopathic Clinic
　
My hobby is marathon running. I have completed 50 full marathons (including 29 in the Hokkaido Marathon) with a 100% completion rate.

Today's Content

What is stretching?
The purpose of stretching
The benefits of stretching
Types of Stretching
Key points for implementation
Stretching
Check your muscle flexibility!
(1) Front of thigh
(2) Groin
(3) Back of thigh
Stretching to prevent stiff shoulders
summary

　
When Professor Tanimoto asked, "Who stretches every day?" several people raised their hands! "Wow! That's great!" he said. When he asked, "Who stretches 2-3 times a week?" most people raised their hands!

"Stretching every day will help keep your body healthy. Recently, more and more people are incorporating it into their daily lives as a way to stay healthy," began Professor Tanimoto.

What is stretching?

There are many different types and purposes, but their essence is to increase the range of motion of joints by stretching the soft tissues involved in joint movement ⇒ improving flexibility.

Soft tissue is a general term for connective tissues such as tendons, ligaments, fascia, skin, and fat tissue, excluding bone tissue, as well as blood vessels, striated muscles, smooth muscles, and peripheral nerve tissue (ganglions and nerve fibers).
Stretching is the process of expanding the range of motion of the joints by stretching the tissues that cover these bones, which makes the joints in the body more flexible.

The purpose of stretching

Get in shape
Rehabilitation (after an injury)
Preventing injuries

The benefits of stretching

Muscle relaxation (relaxing stiff muscles, relieving muscle tension)
Increase range of motion of joints
Improves blood flow and removes fatigue substances

Fatigue substances are substances that interfere with the body, such as lactic acid in the blood. When these substances accumulate in the body, the muscles become stiff, pushing against blood vessels and nerves, causing discomfort such as stiff shoulders, pain, and headaches. This is evidence that blood flow has become poor and fatigue substances have accumulated. Stretching can improve blood flow and improve the balance of your physical condition.

Types of Stretching

Static stretching: Most commonly performed stretches are static stretches.
Manual resistance stretching: Stretching with manual resistance (used for athletes and rehabilitation)
Ballistic stretching: A type of stretching that baseball and soccer players do together before a game

Ballistic stretching (stretching before a game for baseball players, etc.)

Static stretching is a safe and easy form of stretching.
Manual stretching can produce quick results, but it also carries the risk of injury.
Ballistic stretching is a good thing to do before sports, but it also carries the risk of injury (also known as Brazilian exercises).

Today we will be doing some safe static stretching!

Static stretching

Stretch your muscles slowly, without any momentum or bounce, and maintain the stretched position.
Hold the position for about 20 to 30 seconds (research has shown that doing it for more than 30 seconds on one part of the body reduces the effect).
Less likely to cause muscle pain
It is the safest stretch
The method is simple
Can be carried out by one person

Key points for performing static stretching

◎ Important: Increases effectiveness

Breathing technique: Don't hold your breath
How to stretch: Stretch gradually without recoil, to the point where it doesn't hurt (it feels just a little painful).
Awareness: Be aware of the muscle you are stretching.
Muscle temperature: It is more effective if you increase muscle temperature after taking a bath, etc.
Stretching direction: Different muscles are stretched depending on the direction

Don't try too hard
The basic breathing technique is to inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth, which relaxes your body.
By relaxing, the parasympathetic nervous system (relaxation nerves) of the autonomic nervous system becomes dominant, making the body flexible and making it easier for the muscles to stretch. If the sympathetic nervous system (nerves that cause tension) is dominant, the body tends to become stiff.
The most important thing is to focus on your muscles and stretch them!!!
By focusing on the muscles, the degree of stretching and blood flow can be easily changed, improving the effect.
It's important to be aware of things like "I'm stretching these muscles," "This feels good," and "My shoulder muscles are stretching."
Stretching is more effective when your body is warm.
Make stretching a habit after bathing
A single muscle (such as the thigh or calf) is made up of many different muscles connected together. Since they come together and connect from different directions, by slightly shifting the direction of stretching, it is possible to stretch different muscles evenly.

Exercise to balance the body 1

Conducted in pairs
Stretching with poor balance can put strain on the joints and not produce the intended effect, so it is important to do warm-up exercises to ensure you stretch in a well-balanced state.

Lie on your back (facing upwards) with your legs stretched out shoulder-width apart
Move the pelvis up and down
Keeping the pelvis that is easier to lower down, point your toes toward yourself and press your heel into the floor.
Inhale through your nose and hold your breath for 3 seconds
Breathe out through your mouth and relax your whole body.
Take three deep breaths
Repeat steps 3 to 6 once more
After you finish, move your pelvis up and down again to check for any changes.

Exercises to balance your body 2

Lie on your back (facing upwards) with both knees raised
With both legs together, move it from side to side to see which side is easier to knock down.
Press the leg that was easier to lean down against the cushion and lift the pelvis on the opposite side slightly.
Now breathe in through your nose and hold your breath for 3 seconds
Breathe in through your mouth and return your legs to their original position, releasing all tension in your body and relaxing.
Take 3 deep breaths (in through your nose and out through your mouth)
Repeat steps 3 to 6 again
After you finish, tilt your legs left and right again to check the changes.

Check your physical condition after balance adjustment

Stretching in practice

Static stretching: A common method of stretching muscles slowly without using any force.

Start after bathing or lightly moving your body (after about 10 minutes of warming up).
Stretch in a relaxed position for the first 10 seconds
After that, stretch a little more and hold the position for 10 seconds at a comfortable level (a slightly painful but comfortable state).
Breathe naturally and be careful not to hold it (it's easy to relax, especially when you're exhaling).
Make the patient aware of the area being stretched (the muscle being stretched)
You can increase the stretching effect by changing the direction of stretching.
Check your muscle flexibility!
(1) Front of thigh 1: Bend your knee and measure the distance between your heel and buttocks.
・Front of thigh 1 (quadriceps and iliopsoas): Sit with one knee bent and lean your torso backwards as far as you can without straining yourself. Be careful not to lift your knee.
・Front of thigh 2 (quadriceps and iliopsoas)
- Standing position, hold one knee and bend it
* The rectus femoris is the only biarticular muscle in the quadriceps, and can be effectively performed by adding the movement of pulling the hip joint backward (extension).

(2) Groin: Hug your knee and measure the distance between the back of your other knee and the floor.
・Ground of thighs (iliopsoas, quadriceps): Spread your feet wide apart and stretch the front of the thigh of your back leg. Point your toes and avoid touching your knees to the floor (you can place the top of your feet and knees on the floor).

Hamstring Stretch

Hold the back of your knee firmly with both hands
Extend your knees while gently bending your ankles

Stretching to prevent stiff shoulders

Gently stretch your neck muscles
Move your shoulder blades slowly and widely: Moving slowly can warm up the fascia.

Shoulder blade stretch

Place your hands on your shoulders, bring your elbows together in front of you, then raise them up and rotate your shoulders.

summary

Focus on your muscles and make it a habit to stretch every day after your bath without forcing yourself!

Stretch every day without forcing yourself: Make it a routine to do it after your bath!
When stretching, be aware of which muscles you are stretching!
By doing this regularly, you can prevent back pain and stiff shoulders!
It's also a good idea to do exercises every day to balance your body!

Professor Tanimoto carefully explained the theory of stretching in an easy-to-understand manner. We also learned warm-up exercises to balance the body and several types of stretching techniques, making this a very meaningful, fun and healthy course.

With boundless love, gratitude and prayers, I would like to thank Dr. Hikaru Tanimoto of Hokuryu Himawari Osteopathic Clinic for his health course, "Healthy Stretching," which focuses on each and every muscle in the body and helps people to make it a habit to move their body slowly every day.

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Hokuryu Town Healthy Class "Learn some easy stretches you can do at home" Photos by Hikaru Tanimoto (70 photos) are here >>

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