This is quite a touchy subject and while you may THINK you have a good idea on whether to stretch or not, guess again! By now (2009), most of you think stretching is bad. Some on the other hand, still use “stretching” and “warming up” synonymously (these people probably tug really hard on a slab of meat to get it to medium-well). Now let me tell you what I think, but since I have a lot of info to cover, I’ll simply do so in point form.
What are we really doing?
- Viscoelasticity: when human tissue is held under tension for a long period of time, the force required to hold the tissue at this particular length decreases
- Neural mechanism: the increased range of motion (ROM) about a joint following a bout of stretching is actually an APPARENT increase. That is, no actual change in physical length, its actually an analgesic affect. This doesn’t apply to massage-based techniques either by hand or tool, just stretching
Pre-activity stretching
- Shrier and friends looked at acute stretching via a systematic review in 2004 and found some papers that showed negative effects, some showing conflicting effects, and one showing positive effects on performance measures.
- His review revealed NEGATIVE effects of pre-activity stretching on peak torque (Nelson et al, Evetovich et al, Cramer et al, Merek et al), strength endurance (Nelson et al), power output (Yamaguchi et al), balance, reaction, and movement times (Behm et al).
- Static stretching was found to increase (aka slow) 20m sprint time while dynamic stretching was found to improve 20m sprint time (Nelson et al).
- The one study showing positive effects in soccer players demonstrated dynamic stretching to IMPROVE the stationary 10m sprint, flying start 20m sprint, and agility (Little et al). This study also said static stretching did no harm.
- Running economy was also said to have improved with stretching
- NO EFFECTS were revealed for kicking foot speed (Young et al), tennis serve accuracy and power (Knudson et al), jump height (Woolstenhulme et al), and jump ability (Unick et al)
- Static stretching also has NO EFFECT on eccentric muscle contractions (Cramer et al)
Regular stretching
- A long-term, regular routine of stretching actually INCREASES the force production and velocity of contraction of muscle (Magnusson et al)
What about ballistic stretching?
- Mahieu et al examined both static and ballistic stretching about the ankle and found that while both improved joint ROM, passive resistive torque decreased with static stretching and passive stiffness (of the Achilles) decreased with ballistic work. See below for what I think about this.
But what does this all mean?
- “Generally” speaking, its ok to statically stretch at home and on a regular basis.
- “Generally” speaking, one should perform a dynamic warm up prior to competition
NOW THIS IS WHAT I THINK:
- Most of us are probably missing the boat and ignoring the neurophysiologic and contractile properties of the myofascia (more on this in a future post. just make sure you come back because this may completely change the way you look at muscles)
- Stretch only what needs to be stretched. If your athlete presents with an upper crossed-type syndrome, then he/she will likely need to work on their pectoralis minor. Stop cranking on their anterior capsule
- Wise cookies will not only look at muscles but also joints. Figure out what needs improved mobility through functional screening (Functional Movement Screens, Lyno Method, etc). Check out Ron Jones and Guy Voyer they’ve got some good stuff.
- Sometimes an athlete will need specific muscle work and other times they’ll need to address fascial restrictions. YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE TWO!
- From a therapeutic perspective, first assess and compare single-joint vs multi-joint ROM. Address the single-joint issues first then follow with the multi-joint issues.
- Self-stretching of the lower extremity sucks and is very difficult to do effectively. Most of the time we end up stretching our tendons and ligaments (see ballistic stretching above) rather than stretching the muscle bellies or releasing fascial restrictions. Isolated stretching of the tendons and ligaments may actually be detrimental and decreasing their ability to store and release energy may put us at risk of injury. I don’t necessarily think ballistic work is bad, I just think it should be reserved for certain athletes and in certain instances. Releasing an adhesion at the muscle insertion is a different story (click here)
- In many cases, athletes should be using some type of external tool and or manual therapy to improve the length and pliability of a certain tissues. Its the mindless work that’s detrimental!
- Dynamic stretching should ONLY be performed in that ROM which is required for the particular sport participated in. That is, 5K clinic participants don’t need as much ROM as hurdlers and therefore, shouldn’t swing their hips like pendulum as high as hurdlers do.
- Proximal stability should precede distal mobility
- In many instances, its actually not the muscles that need stretching but the joints that need mobilizations. Think ankle mortise in squatting
And probably my #1 tip:
- Don’t be afraid to wear your Lulu Lemons! If athlete needs to improve their mobility around a particular joint for performance purposes (i.e. hurdler, high jumper), then let them. Just make sure they follow up their warm-up routine (in the sport-specific ROM) with a few exercises that address that muscle-joint complex’s stretch-shortening capabilities. What good is increased ROM when you’re become weak in that new ROM?
But here’s my little secret…
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Great article Dr. Cubos. People tend to make the subject of stretching (like they do with many other subjects), a very black and white issue. In reality, it is more about the individual person and their needs. If you are tight in certain areas, I see no problem with stretching out.
Patrick
Thanks Patrick! Hence, “Stretching the Truth” as the title.
Jeff
PS. Thanks for the retweets!
I have been a sports massage therapist for 25 years. The debate of to stretch or not to stretch makes no sense to me. The real question is what method of stretching are you using and what is your purpose for stretching. Workouts tend to shorten muscles and increase muscle tension. I like massaging for many reaasons but in the end the athlete must be able to move muscles and joints with the least amount of resistance. I find that using active isolated stretching is extremely effective in maintaining muscle and joint flexibility.
Thank you for your comment. As with many other aspects of health care, the debate likely stemmed from clinicians and scientists asking themselves 1. What are we actually doing? and 2. Are we really doing what we think we’re doing?
I will add that many workouts are actually intended to lengthen tissues, so the important thing for us professionals is to identify the particular requirements of a given structure for a given activity. (i.e. what needs lengthening vs. what needs strengthening).
Thanks for the post. Good reminders to assess all anatomic factors that can influence and impair physiologic movement. We can’t assume it’s just one factor (joint mobility, muscle length and stiffness, fascial restrictions). We have to consider all possibilities and address that person’s specific needs.
Stretching is a complex subject for many. I do believe that many individuals are confused as to what they really are or are not stretching. I have found out over the years that when someone traumatizes an area they feel the stretch is good and want it to “burn”. As we all know a muscle needs to fulfill its action potential and contract either concentrically or eccentrically. The Fascia needs to allow the fibers to glide and slide easily, so depending on the reason for the stretch will determine the format of stretching needed. This is where an educated therapist needs to guide their client. Many of our trainers are not educated in proper muscle and joint movement and often times do not educate and train their clients correctly. I often instruct my clients who are injured while exercising or by any other means that a slow controlled movement, and a comfortable stretch through the area of concern will not hurt them but help the Fascia’s collagen matrix reconstruct itself properly. Great article and I believe more needs to be written on the pros and cons of joint movement.
Good article and loved the research you put into it.
Question
“Sometimes an athlete will need specific muscle work and other times they’ll need to address fascial restriction”
Are you going to expand on how you tell a difference coming up? I am very interested in your thoughts.
Rock on
Mike T Nelson Phd (c)
Thanks Mike.
Yes I will post my thoughts on muscle, fascia, etc in the near future. But just to give you an idea of what’s going on in my head…
An athlete comes in complaining of “tightness” on the lateral aspect of his thigh. Most of his physical examination is within normal limits including isolated ROM of the Vastus Lateralis/Quad group. Ober’s test is also negative.
However, when his femur is ADDucted, his quad ROM now decreases. THEORETICALLY, this is telling me that there is a fascial adhesion between his Vastus Lateralis and his ITBand. ART has a protocol for this.
Hope this clarifies things.
Thank you for putting these points together. THe literature isn’t clear often when it says “warm up” whether it means cardio, stretching, both, mobility or something else, so it’s understandable folks would conflate terms too.
May i offer a pointer to z-health as well to go in with your consideration of mobility work?
http://www.begin2dig.com/2009/06/why-i-loading-for-real-overviewreview-z.html
References: would it be possible to add years to your citations as most of the authors cited have written a lot (like kraemer) and it would be nice to know which pieces you’re thinking of. I think i have quite a few of them here, but not all:
http://www.begin2dig.com/2009/09/what-is-warm-up-and-why-do-we-need-one.html
thanks, nice to learn of your work
best
mc
[...] should not perform static stretches immediately prior to competition. If you have yet to read Stretching the Truth, I suggest you do so prior to reading this particular [...]
Hi Jeff,
loving the website keep up the good work,
just to add my thoughts from across the pond.
Had gr8 results with a certain well known Trigger Point product to assist with myofascial release, greatest gains when thinking of facial planes rather than specific muscles ie. superficial back line rather than hamstrings per se (ala Anatomy Trains).
Although I think you should approach stretches on vibration platforms with caution m8, I know we spoke about this when we were last @ AP. I have seen WBV stretches provide instant changes to resting length of soft tissues, although I have also had several instances of burners or stingers sustained during competition shortly after athletes participated in WBV stretches. ANy thoughts…..