The Truth About Stretching

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The Truth about stretching

(HealthNewsDigest.com)...A three year old study about stretching is being

cited in many articles today, and the conclusions reached by some writers

may be harmful to your muscle, ligaments and joints...by Phil ,

M.S., M.A., FACHE

Is stretching before exercise harmful?

Stretching before fitness training and athletic training is being made out

to be a time-waster, not needed, and even harmful. This is not true. In

fact, there's a recent study that evaluates all the research on stretching,

and the study concludes:

" Due to the paucity (small number), heterogeneity (dissimilar study

subjects) and poor quality of the available studies no definitive

conclusions can be drawn as to the value of stretching for reducing the risk

of exercise-related injury. " (The efficacy of stretching for prevention of

exercise-related injury: a systematic review of the literature, 2003,

Weldon)

Essentially, the researchers are telling us that there are not enough

quality studies to draw conclusions about this issue.

Study in question

The study that is generating all the hoopla was performed by the Kapooka

Health Centre, New South Wales, Australia on 1,538 army recruits. It's a

creditable study designed to show the occurrence lower limb injury on a

group of young army recruits. Despite what you may have heard about

stretching before training, this is what the researchers actually reported:

A typical muscle stretching protocol performed during pre-exercise warm-ups

does not produce clinically meaningful reductions in risk of

exercise-related injury in army recruits. Fitness may be an important,

modifiable risk factor. (A randomized trial of preexercise stretching for

prevention of lower-limb injury, 2000, Pope)

The statement, " Fitness may be an important, modifiable risk factor " is very

important. It simply means that age, weight, and conditioning of the study

subjects may be an important factor in preventing or facilitating the

injuries experienced in this study.

Three years after the Kapooka study, another study involving military

recruits was conducted and the researchers in this study show that

pre-training static stretching can PREVENT injury involving muscle but not

joint or bone injury. The researchers report, ³Static stretching decreased

the incidence of muscle-related injuries but did not prevent bone or joint

injuries,² (Effect of static stretching on prevention of injuries for

military recruits, 2003, Amako).

Appropriate conclusions

Based on the way some have written about this study, it's okay to run a 100

meter sprint full speed without stretching beforehand. Now, this may be

possible for a small number of lean, young army recruits. However, does

anyone believe that a powerful, muscled-up athlete or a middle-aged and

older adult can go out and run a sprint - cold with no warm-up ­ without

increased risk of injury? Don't think so...

Use Common Sense...and the full body of research

Think about it; if an out-of-shape, untrained young army recruit performs

high-intensity exercise, he may get injured, pre-stretched or not. And this

is why researchers evaluating all the research on stretching conclude, " No

definitive conclusions can be drawn... "

In short, there needs to be a body of research based on age, weight,

conditioning, and the study needs to be performed functionally for the

specific sport and type of exercise before life-changing conclusions are

drawn.

The truth about stretching

New research shows that stretching can aid in the prevention of injury of

stress factures that plague distance runners. Researchers conclude,

³Prevention of stress fractures is most effectively accomplished by

increasing the level of exercise slowly, adequately warming up and

stretching before exercise, and using cushioned insoles and appropriate

footwear,² (Common stress fractures, 2003, Sanderlin)

Stretching offers many benefits. Researchers show that prolonged stretching

(in the form of yoga) with moderate aerobic exercise and diet control will

reduce cholesterol and significantly reverse hardening of the arteries (20

percent regression) in adults with proven coronary atherosclerotic disease.

After one year in a yoga program, participants lost weight, reduced

cholesterol, and improved their exercise capacity, (Retardation of coronary

atherosclerosis with yoga lifestyle intervention, 2000, Manchanda).

Stretching offers many benefits, but there is an issue about the type of

stretching and the timing of stretching before training and athletic

competitions.

Use dynamic stretching before games and key practice sessions

There are two main types of stretching, static (holding a stretching

exercise in one position without movement) and dynamic stretching, which

means moving while stretching (arm swings, knee rotations, neck circles).

Researchers show that athletes should not perform prolonged static

stretching before the big game or a key practice session because this slows

muscle activation for around an hour afterwards, (Reduced strength after

passive stretch of the human plantar flexors, 2000, Fowles). Using dynamic

stretching is a wise pre-competition strategy.

Static stretching builds flexibility and should be performed regularly, just

not immediately before a big game or a key practice session.

Warming up prior to a high-intensity, ballistic, athletic event is an

absolute rule - never to be broken, and stretching can be combined

(multi-tasked) as part of the warm-up. The goal of the warm-up is to get the

blood flowing and raise body temperature (one degree) prior to athletic

competitions and high-intensity training. It¹s desirable to have the

athlete¹s muscle, ligaments, and joints experience the functional range of

motion required of the sport during the warm-up.

Do static stretching with 30-second stretch-holds

away from practice

Gains in flexibility are dependent on the ³duration² of stretch-hold

position, and researchers show the best ³stretch-hold position² (for

time-spent) to increase flexibility is 30 seconds. (The effect of time on

static stretch on the flexibility of the hamstring muscles, 1994, Bandy).

" Best " means optimal results for time-spent. You can get positive results

with 2 minute stretch-holds, but 30 seconds yields equal results.

This type of stretching is positive for athletes and adults of all ages.

Researchers show in one study that longer hold stretching positions are of

great benefit for adults over age 65,

³Longer hold times during stretching of the hamstring muscles resulted in a

greater rate of gains in range of motion (ROM) and a more sustained increase

in ROM in elderly subjects.² (The effect of duration of stretching of the

hamstring muscle group for increasing range of motion in people aged 65

years or older, 2001, Feland).

Adults ages 21 to 45 with tight hamstrings also get the best results from

static stretching with 30-second stretch-hold positions. Researchers report

that static stretching is two times more effective than dynamic range of

motion (DROM) for this group of non-competitive athletes. Researchers

report,

³The results of this study suggest that, although both static stretch and

DROM (dynamic stretching) will increase hamstring flexibility, a 30-second

static stretch was more effective than the newer technique, DROM, for

enhancing flexibility. (The effect of static stretch and dynamic range of

motion training on the flexibility of the hamstring muscles, 2001, Bandy).

Keep in mind there are important lessons in these studies, but the studies

apply to a specific age group (over 65, and ages 21 ­ 45,) and a specific

physical condition (tight hamstrings). If we apply the results of a study

with these variables to young athletes, we may be wrong.

While it¹s reasonable to conclude (as I have for training purposes) that

static stretching away from practice is an effective strategic for adults

with tight hamstrings, this study doesn¹t specifically prove that point.

It¹s clearly a mistake to take the findings of one study and create an

absolute fact. Look at the whole body of research about a topic before

making a life-changing training decision.

The take home about stretching

1. Use dynamic stretching and static stretching at the correct times in the

training plan.

2. Dynamic stretching (arm swings, hip rotations, knee rotations) will aid

in the pre-competition, pre-practice warm-up process by increasing flexion

in the joints and increasing body temperature. This method is preferred

before athletic competition.

3. Static stretching can be used as part of a warm-up for training. However,

static stretching will slightly slow down athletes for an hour afterwards so

examine your training goals. The best way to improve overall flexibility is

static stretching with 30 second stretch-holds performed away from events

requiring peak performance.

Phil . M.S., M.A., FACHE is the author of Ready, Set, Go! Synergy

Fitness www.readysetgofitness.com

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