Stretching - Don't Bother?

Studies find stretching doesn't prevent injury

Stretch, stretch, stretch to prevent muscle pulls - that is the mantra I have heard from many coaches over the years. But the mythbusters are at work - stretching may help you feel more flexible, but that's about as much benefit as you will get from it.

Stretching Does Not Prevent Injury

Stephen B. Thacker, director of the epidemiology program office at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted a study that reviewed 361 research studies on stretching. The results, published in the March, 2004 issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise® (MSSE) concluded there was no evidence that stretching before or after exercise prevents injury or muscle soreness.

The study concluded that stretching does improve flexibility, but being flexible doesn't prevent injuries. Injury rates were higher for both the most flexible and and least flexible study participants than for the average participants. Most injuries happen when the muscle is going through its normal range of motion, so having an increased range of motion had no effect in preventing such injuries.

Warming Up

Stretching often goes hand in hand with warm-up exercises. Programs that combine warm-up, strength, and balance training with stretching have demonstrated effectiveness in the prevention of knee and ankle injuries. But the studies didn't separate warm-up and stretching. Warm-up exercises that take the body through the full range of motion that will be used in the sport or exercise are thought to be of the most value.

Should You Stop Stretching?

The CDC study concluded that there wasn't sufficient evidence to recommend people stop stretching, nor was there good evidence to suggest people start using stretching. The bottom line - if stretching feels good for you, continue to do it. If you don't like stretching, put that time into some warm-up and balance exercises instead.

Read More

Mobility Warm-ups for Walkers
Stretches for Walkers

Source: THACKER, STEPHEN B. et.al. "The Impact of Stretching on Sports Injury Risk: A Systematic Review of the Literature." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 36(3):371-378, March 2004.