Stretching the Truth

This is a controversial subject and many think they have a good idea on whether to stretch or not. Most 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:

• If an 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...

• Follow that up with a little vibration and BOOM..watch Usain go!