Prescriptive Stretching (original 2011; edition 2019)

The first section of the book gives an overview of why stretching is important, anatomy, posture, etc., which I found very useful. The middle section describes how to stretch specific muscles. The descriptions are good, and there are illustrations to help. The final section explains common issues (waking up with neck pain, for example) and then refers you back to certain pages in the middle section.

Overall it was a little more in depth than I personally needed, but it was well written and gave good instructoins. ( )

This is a book that I take with me on long trips. The exercises are unique and very specific to various ailments. The neck stretches in particular have saved me trips to the osteopath for injections. This is an important manual for self-care. You do have to take your time and read through the instructions for the various stretches, but they're laid out very clearly. Having studied massage and the teaching of yoga, I appreciate seeing what muscles are being released. ( )

Very thorough detailed treatise on stretching. Book was laid out in three sections: anatomy/physiology, specific stretches, and programs for various conditions. Seems to be targeted towards semi-professional athlete and/or someone who has worked with a lot with a physical therapist before. Anyone with a strong sports and conditioning background should be able to glean they need to proceed to the correct exercises. My only concern is the exercises may be a little too technical for the casual person (e.g. opening with six different stretches for the neck might be overwhelming). Overall a useful tool for those seeking to improve their health, reduce pain and increase performance. ( )

Having read many books on stretching, I found this to be an excellent book for learning the theory of stretching, what is good/bad in stretching techniques (e.g., stretching the muscle rather than the joint, keeping the back flat and abs tight, etc.), and the importance of stretching. It also has good drawings of anatomy. For one learning muscles and the anatomy of stretching, the clinical approach to proper stretching, and how tight muscles negatively affect one's health and body, this book is very well done. It also teaches the importance of stretching the muscle rather than the joint, why to do a stretch in a certain way in order to avoid injury or imbalance, and how to stretch deep muscles which are not usually stretched by standard stretches. The last section, programs for pain relief, is not very in-depth, but still good for learning the possible causes of different kinds of chronic pain and stretches and practical changes to your habits to resolve that pain in the long-run (e.g., how to position yourself to sleep properly, how to heal a thrown-out back, how to relieve a kink in your neck, where headaches come from, etc.).

However, as far as learning practical, everyday stretches, I found this book much more difficult to follow than other stretching books - mostly because of poor illustrations with lack of dimension and contrast. While most of the stretches are creative and interesting, how to execute them properly is sometimes difficult to learn from the book. Despite having experience in stretching, I could only figure out how to do about half of the stretches successfully. Many of the descriptions of the more complicated or small muscle stretches (particularly those for the neck) were not straight-forward enough and the sketches were not clear enough. For example, one could much better understand the stretches if the illustrations showed the stretch from more than one angle (i.e., front and side), and if they had more contrast and dimension to show more clearly how one's body should be positioned in 3D. With several stretches, it took some trial and error before the "light bulb" went off and I was able to figure out what I was actually supposed to do, because the illustrations were to vague and too washed-out to see enough detail (e.g., which part was the wall and which part was the doorway - since they were both white!, or how the rest of the body was supposed to be positioned because the illustration didn't show any dimension).

Additionally, many of the stretches in the book were not recommended for those with shoulder, neck, or back pain, yet the book is supposed to help alleviate that pain by stretching and balancing muscles. So, it would have been nice if the book included alternate stretches for those with existing problem areas or injuries, rather than providing less-complicated versions of some of the stretches, which were still not recommended for those with existing pain or injuries. Furthermore, many of the stretches require items which are not always on hand, thereby making one less likely to attempt them while traveling, etc. However, overall this book was helpful to learn a few new stretches to add to one's stretching routine.

My favorite stretching book, "Stretching" by Bob Anderson, on the other hand, is a book which is full of creative stretches, which makes those stretches very easy to learn and execute. It was the first stretching book I read which made stretching both doable and fun for a non-flexible person. So, while I would recommend "Prescriptive Stretching" for learning theory, injury prevention, causes of pain, and the anatomy of stretching, I would not recommend it for those who just need to learn practical, non-complicated stretches for daily life. If the book were just the theory and the program for pain relief parts, I'd give it 4-5 stars; but since the practical part isn't very practical for ordinary people, I can only give it 3 stars. That said, it's still a book worth reading, if for nothing else than to learn the causes of chronic pain and how to stretch properly in theory, rather than practice. ( )

This is an excellent book designed to help you by guiding you to the exact stretches you will need to alleviate any pain and stiffness that you may have. Each stretch is illustrated and outlined thoroughly in the text, including information on how to stretch each muscle and how NOT to stretch particular muscles. Information is also include on how stretching can help with problems due to skeleton problems (such as joint pain and posture). Full diagrams of the skeletal and muscle systems are also included.

The Table of Contents guides you to the following sections: Introduction; Muscles and Bones of the Human Body; Stretching Fundamentals; Targeted Stretches; Programs for Pain Relief; Assessing Flexibility and Muscle Balance; Stretch Index; References; and About the Author.

If you want just one book to guide you in stretching buy this book. If you have other books on stretching and/or yoga, buy this a supplement to aid you in your current program of stretching. ( )