Stretching is a common activity used by athletes, older adults, rehabilitation patients, and anyone participating in a fitness program. While the benefits of stretching are known, controversy remains about the best type of stretching for a particular goal or outcome. The purpose of this clinical commentary is to discuss the current concepts of muscle stretching interventions and summarize the evidence related to stretching as used in both exercise and rehabilitation.
Stretching may take a back seat to your exercise routine. The main concern is exercising, not stretching, right?
Not so fast. Stretching may help you:
Improve your joint range of motion
Improve your athletic performance
Decrease your risk of injury
Understand why stretching can help and how to stretch correctly.
Benefits of stretching
Concentrate your stretches on major muscle groups such as your calves, thighs, hips, lower back, neck and shoulders. Make sure that you stretch both sides.
Also stretch muscles and joints that you routinely use.
Don't bounce. Stretch in a smooth movement, without bouncing. Bouncing as you stretch can injure your muscle and actually contribute to muscle tightness.
Hold your stretch. Breathe normally and hold each stretch for about 30 seconds; in problem areas, you may need to hold for around 60 seconds.
Don't aim for pain. Expect to feel tension while you're stretching, not pain. If it hurts, you've pushed too far. Back off to the point where you don't feel any pain, then hold the stretch.
Make stretches sport specific. Some evidence suggests that it's helpful to do stretches involving the muscles used most in your sport or activity. If you play soccer, for instance, stretch your hamstrings as you're more vulnerable to hamstring strains. So opt for stretches that help your hamstrings.
Keep up with your stretching. Stretching can be time-consuming. But you can achieve the most benefits by stretching regularly, at least two to three times a
Witvrouw, E., Mahieu, N., Roosen, P., & McNair, P. (2007). The role of stretching in tendon injuries. British journal of Sports Medicine , 224-226.
Flexion is the bending of a joint so that the angle between the two bones decreases. The primary muscles that flex the knee are a group collectively known as “hamstrings.” The hamstrings consist of the biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus. The muscles that assist in flexion are the sartorius, gracilis,...
Therapeutic stretches of the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. If the ligament are weakened, cross fiber friction them to try to regain some of the integrity of the ankle back.
Graston instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (GITSM) is a tool used by therapists and chiropractors to help break up the scar tissue and replace it with fibroblast, allowing for faster recoveries (Black 2010). A series of heat, GISTM, strength and flexibility training are required (Black 2010). Numerous studies have been conducted, by certified therapists qualified in GISTM, to examine the styles and recovery periods after an injury. After going through the treatment, patients are measured by their range of motion (ROM) to see if the treatments were effective or not (Black 2010). ROM can vary depending on the region of the body that is being treated, but the overall goal of GISTM is to allow a person to get back to the regular routines they had before their injury.
Kerr (2012) states that there are 3 main types of exercise which are aerobic, strength/resistance training and flexibility exercises. Aerobic exercises will help keep the heart, lungs and muscles healthy, and when paired with a healthy diet will aid in weight loss. Appropriate resistance training will help to improve strength, posture and balance as well as causing the participant’s body to look more toned. Also the build up of muscle will aid with weight loss as at rest muscle burns more calories than inactive tissue. These exercises should be done two or three times a week. Flexibility exercises are important because if a muscle isn’t stretched then overtime it will shorten and become less elastic. Therefore joint mobility will decrease and the likelihood of injuries to muscl...
Using a foam roller sore muscles recovery exercise immediately after your workout or even the next day can help reduce the tightness and soreness.
There are many ways you can prevent injuries from happening before they do occur. Make sure you lift the right amount of weight to ensure that your body won’t wear down or you won’t injure yourself. Lifting more than you need to will only make your body worse. Using poor form can get you hurt quicker and easier than any other way. Make sure that you are using the correct form even if that means hiring a trainer or having a spotter. Workouts that you know can help because you will know the correct position. Workouts without machinery and weights have a lesser risk of hurting you. Cassidy says, “Years of intense workouts take a toll on your body..... Cartilage wears down and muscles, tendons, and ligaments can become less limber” (1).
After Swimming: Do 5 minutes of easy freestyle swimming and do full-body stretches for flexibility.
in soft tissue mobilization pressure.” Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. April 1999: 531-5.
The body was designed to perform a variety of tasks while actively using muscles. Sustained muscle activity robs the muscles of life giving blood flow. It is very important to actively stretch during breaks to flush out toxins that build up in the muscles that were used for sustained posture.
[2] Zelick, R. 2014. Muscle Lab Exercise. Bi253 Lab Manual. Portland State University, OR, pp. 1-5
"Flexibility Training... Stretching For Sport And Athletes." Phil Davies' Sports Fitness Advisor - Get Fit for Sport & Life. Web. 03 June 2010. .
Everyone can stretch regardless of age of flexibility. You do not need to be in good shape or be an athlete to be able to stretch. Stretching feels good when done correctly. You do not have to push your limits to progress in an effective stretch routine. Neither should it be a contest to see how far you can stretch. This will most often lead to injury. Rather stretching should feel more relaxing than anything, and should not feel uncomfortable in any way. If there is pain during a stretch then that is a good sign there is something wrong. If you stretch and exercise regularly, than you will learn to enjoy it more and more.
Another thing that is important to prevent injuries is to warm-up before you exercise. A warm-up prepares your body for exercise. When you warm up you get your blood flowing and loosen up your muscles. Loosening your muscles before exercise helps you avoid injuries to your muscles. When you first begin exercising you use less muscle fibers then you do when you have been exercising for a length of time. This reduces the strain on each individual muscle fiber. One injury warming up helps prevent is the tearing of muscles.
Performing planks daily allows you to be more flexible. Planking widens and stretches all your posterior muscle groups such as the shoulders, shoulder blades, and collarbone. It also stretches your hamstrings, your feet arches, and toes. If you add a side plank into the routine, you can also work on developing your oblique muscles. Flexibility means being able to perform other forms of workouts with competence.