Everything you ever need to know about life, you learned in kindergarten - with one exception. It seems that all those lessons about touching your toes were futile because new research indicates that static stretching - the kind most of us are accustomed to do prior to a workout - might actually be harmful. It seems that - rather than having the intended effect of stretching and relaxing the muscles to reduce injuries like pulled muscles - bending to touch your toes causes the muscle to tighten in response to a perceived risk of being overstretched, leading to decreased flexibility and movement during exercise. Given that loose muscles are less likely to be pulled, one can deduce that activities that cause muscles to tighten would increase the risk of exercise-induced muscle injury. Overall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has concluded based on several hundred studies that there is no difference in incidence of injury between static stretchers and non-stretchers. In other words, static stretching does not help to prevent injury.
Now I want all you stretch devotees out there to take a deep breath because stretching isn't harmful when done at the correct time for the right reasons. Static stretching before running just so happens to be the wrong time for runners specifically. Instead, research indicates that a warm-up should consist of activities that get the blood moving - such as a light jog or other activity-specific light exercise, like walking lunges for runners, kicking for soccer or a few swings for softball and baseball. The goal of the pre-exercise exercise is to warm up and loosen the muscles in preparation for the real show by using those muscles in a similar way, just like singers warm up before a concert with all those la-la-la-las. Additionally, warming up multiple muscles in groups rather than stretching a single muscle allows one group to be active while others are stretched. This activity leads to increased flexibility of the target muscle while reducing the risk of overstretching. Elite athletes have been using these warm-up techniques ever since it was shown that static stretches, despite their popularity in workout routines for generations, are less beneficial than other methods for warming up and might decrease overall flexibility for the big game.
Still, the research shows that active stretching, instead of static stretching, is beneficial. Apparently, the bouncing stretches from 1980s-era spandex aerobic routines were on the right track! Bouncing stretches still are not the perfect answer, though, because they do not allow the muscles to fully stretch or warm up and can cause injury - all those things the physical education teachers in elementary school taught you. The key is making sure to do both active stretching and warm up, instead of just sitting on the ground and reaching for your toes, which, as it turns out, doesn't stretch your muscles enough to be a preventative measure. A better time for static stretching is after an intense workout or at the end of the day when you won't be doing any more intense physical activity for the day and your muscles are already warmed up. The trick is to consider stretching as its own form of exercise, as in yoga, and focus on multiple muscle groups to allow some to stretch while others are active. This will increase your flexibility in the long run - pun intended - and decrease your risk of injury from those intense exercises. In short, warm up with activities that mimic your workout to loosen the muscles then cool down with some slow static stretching or yoga poses.
On an unrelated note, this is my last column for The Cavalier Daily and I just wanted to thank everyone for reading and say that I have truly enjoyed writing this column for the past two years. Time flies when you're having fun - thank you!
Katie is a University Medical student. She can be reached at k.mcbeth@cavalierdaily.com.
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