Everyone knows they should probably be stretching more. Stretching is one of the easiest ways you can increase both the effectiveness of the treatment you receive as well as the length of time between appointments you need before a tune up. But there are some important keys to stretching that are often missed.
First, and this is a big one - you need to hold your stretches for AT LEAST 90 seconds. Seriously. You can read this overview here of why holding stretches for longer is important. In general, most studies show that holding a stretch for at least 30 seconds is the way to go to increase the length of the muscle, but typically it's the tendon of the muscle, not actually the muscle belly that is lengthening in that case. And it's the muscle belly that needs it.
Second, easy does it! Stretching is not about 'feeling the burn'. Lots of people stop stretching because they injure themselves while doing it. It's not a competition and you shouldn't feel pain while stretching. The key to stretching is a mild stretch over a longer time. So that first sensation of a stretch, hold there until that feeling lessens, then move a little deeper into the stretch and repeat either until 90 seconds is up, or, if you want to hold the stretch longer than that (which would be great because anything after 90 seconds will help to stretch the fascial component of whatever issue you've got as well) continue until things are a nice good length and you're not getting that stretch sensation anymore. But go easy! Gentle stretching. Particularly if you're stretching the pectoralis muscles, as vigorous stretching of these has been known to pop ribs out of place!
Third, don't stretch the muscle that hurts. I know, I know, seems totally counterintuitive, but trust me. If you've got neck pain, don't stretch the traps, stretch the subscapularis and pectoralis muscles, particularly pectoralis minor. The traps are hanging on for dear life. The reason they hurt you is that pain is the body's way of asking for help. And telling you to stop doing whatever it is you're doing. Also, the body is way more concerned about the muscles that are being pulled on. A muscle that's too short can still do its job. A muscle that gets pulled too far tears. So the body puts in all of these structural supports and trigger points and things to help it deal with being pulled on. That's what traditional treatments aim at removing. But the body is putting that stuff there for a reason. Figure out what muscles are actually doing the pulling, return those to their proper length, and the rest just takes care of itself. That's why you're stretching and stretching and things just seem to be getting worse. Because they are. You're removing the body's natural protective mechanisms. Stretch the antagonist muscles and you'll get a lot further ahead.
So neck pain? Stretch pecs. Tight hamstrings? Stretch iliopsoas. Sore low back? Try stretching your calves (for different reasons, but same net effect).
Of course, it's more complicated than that, but it's a good general guide. If you have any specific questions, leave them in the comments!
Thanks for reading!