Before the mods jump on this: A google search led me to only very [vague and rudimentary](https://www.healthline.com/health/nerve-flossing#thoracic-outlet-syndrome) explanations, such as “a gentle exercise that stretches nerves”. I also searched inside and found nada. And so…
I’d like to ask, exactly how and why does nerve flossing work?
In: Biology
I’m just guessing, but:
The “electrical impulses” of nerves are not like wires: They are actually a chemical reaction caused by pushing [potassium and sodium](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_potential) ions around. There may be some places where ions can “hide” (or get stuck) that require longer stretches of on/off in order to get them back ‘in the system’ and functioning normally.
If true, it reminds me of e-ink displays: Often times, you can do updates to them, but over time these updates accumulate imperfections that require a “full refresh” to fix. This is why screens will turn all black then all white: to reset all the ‘pixels’ to known places.
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