The Truth About Stretching

The Truth About Stretching

A flexible topic

Stretching has a long history of being a staple element in exercise programs and rehabilitation plans. Over the last few years, there has been controversy surrounding its use. Some rehab or exercise professionals promote stretching before exercise toting that it decreases muscle soreness, improves performance, and prevents future injuries. On the other hand, many others advocate avoiding stretching before activity as it may result in injury or decrease performance, ultimately describing it as an ineffective use of time. With so many opinions floating around, it can be difficult to make an educated decision when it comes to stretching. This blog post will take you through the evidence surrounding stretching, and hopefully, provide you with some takeaways regarding whether it is a worthwhile pursuit.

First, let’s discuss the two primary different types of stretching.

Static Stretching

Static stretching is the most common stretching technique. It is performed by lengthening the target muscle group to your maximal point and holding the position for 30 seconds or more. Most of the research suggests holding a stretch for 30 seconds and repeating the stretch 4 times.

Dynamic Stretching

Dynamic stretching is performed through continuous movement patterns that mimic the exercise or sport to be performed. An example of dynamic stretching would be a runner doing long, exaggerated strides or walking lunges to get ready for a race.

There is consistent evidence that static stretching effectively increases flexibility and range of motion. The exact mechanism that occurs at the level of the tissues is not well understood and is under debate in the literature—we will save that discussion for another time. Despite understanding the exact physiological changes, consistent static stretching will increase your range of motion over time. This may seem obvious, so let’s move on to some less straightforward topics regarding stretching.     

Does stretching improve performance?

It has been well established in the literature that performing a series of static stretches prior to activity negatively influences muscular strength, power, explosiveness, balance and agility. Muscular strength appears to be the most negatively impacted by static stretching due to a phenomenon called stretch-induced strength loss. The reason for this loss of strength is likely due to the nervous system, where there is less input from the nerves to produce a strong contraction in the muscle after a bout of static stretching. This loss in strength is dose-dependent, meaning that as the intensity of the static stretch increases, your performance will decrease proportionally. The influence of static stretching on endurance activities such as running and cycling is less clear. Studies that have analyzed this topic found that static stretching has a similarly negative impact or does not change performance. Considering all of this information, performing a short bout of static stretching prior to exercising confers no additional benefit on performance—and in some cases, it can be detrimental. 

Conversely, engaging in dynamic stretching as part of a warm-up may be valuable. Dynamic stretching as part of a warm-up does not improve flexibility as effectively as static stretching. However, dynamic stretching increases circulation, increases heart rate, and increases breathing rate. Dynamic stretching does not negatively impact performance and therefore may be a superior alternative to static stretching. The increase in circulation and heart rate can help prepare your body to perform in various activities such as weight lifting, running or sporting events.

Does stretching prevent injuries?

I have no doubt that at some point in your life, you have been told by a coach, friend, or professional to make sure that you stretch (usually referring to static stretching) before you do a certain activity to prevent an injury. Or you may have been told the reason for your muscle tightness is because you did not stretch after a specific activity. While the intentions may be pure, it may not be the best advice or explanation. 

First off, emerging research is revealing that the sensation of muscle ‘tightness’ may be indicative of muscle micro-damage rather than restricted muscle length. 

The research is unclear on whether stretching reduces the likelihood of sustaining an injury. In fact, a recent review article analyzing multiple studies found that: “There is not sufficient evidence to endorse or discontinue routine stretching before or after exercise to prevent injury among competitive and recreational athletes.” Considering the uncertainty surrounding stretching and injury prevention, other methods of increasing flexibility and range of motion may confer greater benefits. Progressive strength training programs can increase flexibility while concurrently reducing the occurrence and recurrence of common sports-related injuries. 

So, should you stretch?

I wish the answer was simple. Unfortunately, there are still many unanswered questions in the research surrounding stretching. If your goal is to increase your range of motion and flexibility, static stretching can be very effective. On the other hand, it may be wise to skip the static stretching before an activity as it has been shown to diminish performance. Moreover, there does not appear to be much of a protective effect of static stretching on injury reduction. However, there also appears to be no detrimental effects from stretching, unless performed prior to events involving strength and power. If you enjoy stretching, continue to stretch… but you may be better served to focus your efforts on strength training.  

Key points:

  • The two most common types of stretching are static and dynamic stretching
  • Static stretching is an effective way to increase flexibility and range of motion
  • Static stretching prior to activity decreases muscular strength, power, explosiveness, balance and agility
  • Dynamic stretching as part of a warm-up may improve performance and confer more pre-competition benefits than static stretching
  • Static stretching before an activity does not prevent sport-related injuries
  • Dynamic warm-ups and strength training programs decrease rates of sports-related injuries 
  • Static stretching is commonly practiced, but allocated time may be better used on more beneficial training modes such as dynamic warm-up, plyometrics, skill acquisition, and strength training.

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