Athletes know all too well the importance of stretching to ensure the body stays supple, flexible and strong, ready for the next session and not too tight and sore from the last run, swim or bike.

But how many of us honestly make the time to stretch on a regular basis, and end up with tightness and niggles because we’ve gone straight from a session to the sofa (hopefully via the shower!), or from an early morning run to the work commute in the car?

Jenny’s excellent Athletics Weekly article reveals just how important stretching, or mobilisation exercises, are to keep your muscles, myofascial tissue and the nervous system mobile without taking too much time out of your busy day.

Make sure you read her fascinating article (link below), but to give you a brief outline of what Jenny covers in the piece, our chartered physiotherapist - who, along with fellow Blizard Physiotherapy experts Matthew Newton, Caroline Hennigan, Kate Stowers and Terri Coates - has amassed years of experience treating people from all backgrounds - explains the areas of the body you need to keep mobilised to stay injury free.

The myofascial system: The fascia is the soft connective tissue around the bones, connecting muscles, bones, nerves and blood vessels. Muscle and fascia make up the myofascial system, and it is this that needs to maintain its flexibility by regular mobilisation exercises.

The nervous system: Stress or repetitive loading can make this system sensitised and ‘sticky’, meaning a restriction in one area of the body, which can then affect areas elsewhere. Thus, specific nervous system movements stimulating the irritated nerve’s blood supply can loosen those restrictions, allowing for better athletic performance.

Jenny has also given some simple to follow but highly affective mobilisation exercises in her article, which produce quick results when you are time-restricted, but always ensure you complete the movements correctly.

If you would like to know more about how you can help yourself become more mobile, less injury prone, and more productive in your sessions as a result, contact the clinic on 01302 511755 for a consultation with one of our expert physiotherapists, who will assess you individually and assign the right exercises for you.

To read the full article please click here: Stretched for time