Health and Well-Being-Report questions the effectiveness of stretching
The Indianapolis-based American College of Sports Medicine recently published a study in its monthly journal, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, that indicates that pre-exercise static stretching may not be as effective in reducing the incidence of lower-limb injury as previously believed. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of muscle stretching during warm-up on the risk of exercise-related injury.
The team of researchers, led by Rodney Peter Pope, of New South Wales, Australia, realized that most athletes stretch their muscles before exercise because they believe this reduces the risk of injury. "Although many athletes have faithfully stretched during warm-up for many years, we questioned whether this practice actually reduced their risk of injury," he notes.
Participants in the study were 1,538 men between the ages of 17 and 35, all Australian army recruits with no significant injury history. They were studied during the 12-week basic training period; 803 participants were part of the stretch group and 735 were part of the nonstretching control group. Participants in the stretch group were trained to perform stretches designed to lengthen the fastrocnemius, soleus, hamstring, quadriceps, hip adductor, and hip flexor muscle groups.
Altogether, 333 lower-limb injuries were recorded; 175 in the control group and 158 in the stretch group. Pope notes that while stretching prior to exercise may not prevent lower-limb injury during the subsequent exercise training, tailored stretching at other times to achieve or maintain adequate flexibility for daily life probably retains its importance.
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