neural tension discomfort

[davepleydell]

Many years ago I had some discomfort behind the knee and a physio diagnosed a nerve stretch to help.

The stretch was laying down and pulling the leg towards you and then pulling the foot downwards. I've seen some research on the slump test etc. trying to understand what he meant by nerve stretch.

What I wanted to understand is that I still get that pain now if I stretch the hamstrings a lot (due to my martial arts) with the knee straight. I guess I'm upsetting the nerve? Since I suffer from this discomfort will I always have to do the nerve stretch to reduce the discomfort or can it be treated to go away? ie to maintain muscle flexibility you need to stretch all the time, is that the same as the neural tension?

Thanks
David

Similar Threads:

• neural tension
• Neural Tension
• Neural tension
• re: Neural Tension
• re: Neural Tension

[Canuck Physio]

Many years ago I had some discomfort behind the knee and a physio diagnosed a nerve stretch to help.

The stretch was laying down and pulling the leg towards you and then pulling the foot downwards. I've seen some research on the slump test etc. trying to understand what he meant by nerve stretch.

What I wanted to understand is that I still get that pain now if I stretch the hamstrings a lot (due to my martial arts) with the knee straight. I guess I'm upsetting the nerve? Since I suffer from this discomfort will I always have to do the nerve stretch to reduce the discomfort or can it be treated to go away? ie to maintain muscle flexibility you need to stretch all the time, is that the same as the neural tension?

Thanks
David

Neural tension is not really the result of the Nerve becoming short or strained, but rather the result of the tissues, proteins, matrix of chemicals that surround that nerve and the structures biomechnically and anatomically surrounding the nerves. What often happens with nerve stretch is the stretching of the material that is 'sticking' to the nerve in some way. So in essence you are freeing the nerve to move against surrounding tissues.

Because I do not know with certainty what was given, and what the current problem is, I can't say exactly what is going on. As well I do not understand this statement : "pulling the leg towards you and then pulling the foot downwards" how does one do this?

Regards

[davepleydell]

Ahh ok thanks. That is interesting. Does that mean it will always occur and the stretch is required to free the nerve?

The stretch I was given was to lay on the ground and perform a hamstring stretch. ie Lift the leg up and pull the leg towards the torso. Then while the leg is up in the air, grab onto the foot and pull that downwards.

A stretch that does seem to help is while sitting, tuck the foot of one leg into the adductor area of the other and stretch forward grabbing the foot of the out stretched leg and pulling the foot towards you.

It seems that doing that stretch releases the discomfort but if I only did the hamstring stretches without pulling the foot back, the discomfort returns.
ie When you kick in martial arts the supporting leg (hamstring, calf etc) takes the weight while the other leg is in the air and that is when I feel it.

David

Neural tension is not really the result of the Nerve becoming short or strained, but rather the result of the tissues, proteins, matrix of chemicals that surround that nerve and the structures biomechnically and anatomically surrounding the nerves. What often happens with nerve stretch is the stretching of the material that is 'sticking' to the nerve in some way. So in essence you are freeing the nerve to move against surrounding tissues.

Because I do not know with certainty what was given, and what the current problem is, I can't say exactly what is going on. As well I do not understand this statement : "pulling the leg towards you and then pulling the foot downwards" how does one do this?

Regards