Rxercise and Back Pain

An article from Enid New.com

The truth about stretching

By Judy Rupp, Columnist

When she’s home for holidays, Amy enjoys running with her father. But they always squabble about stretching.

Amy, 28, has read studies that found little or nothing to be gained from stretching. Her dad, 69, has been stretching religiously before and after runs for 30 years.

Stretching, according to traditional wisdom, improves flexibility and range of motion, makes muscles less vulnerable to injury and prevents the muscle soreness that occurs the day after a workout.

Amy showed her father an Australian study published in the British Medical Journal (Aug. 31, 2002). After reviewing five studies of moderate quality involving 77 healthy young adults, the authors concluded stretching produced only small effects on muscle soreness 24 hours later — “too small,” the authors concluded to recommend stretching for this reason.

Other studies have found only a small reduction in injuries for athletes who stretched, and some concluded static stretching may even have a negative effect on performance in some activities.

Amy’s father countered with a study published in the American College of Sports Medicine (Oct. 2007) concluding 40 minutes of stretching three days a week may actually make muscles stronger and enhance performance.

There are other studies supporting both sides of the stretching argument, but if you go to nearly any professional or university sporting event, you’ll see athletes doing their stretching routines before being sent into action. Their trainers would probably say the issue is not whether to stretch but how and when.

BEFORE VERSUS AFTER: In two of the five studies analyzed in the British Medical Journal review, athletes stretched before exercise. For both injury prevention and delayed muscle soreness, most authorities today agree stretching is less important than warming up before exercise. Only after the muscles are truly warmed up, should you begin some slow, relaxed stretching.

But it’s important not to be too vigorous. Too much of the wrong kind of stretching before exercise, in fact, can fatigue muscles, hinder performance and even increase the risk of injury.

It’s the stretching after exercise most authorities recommend for preventing delayed muscle soreness and injury.

HOW AND WHY TO STRETCH: When a muscle is strengthened through exercise or just daily activity, it tends to contract. Stretching elongates it again.

The goal is to stretch every muscle group in order to maintain a proper balance — such as between hamstrings and quadriceps, calves and shins. The stretch should be just strong enough to increase tension but not enough to cause pain. There should be no bouncing or forcing motions.

How long each stretch is maintained is a matter of disagreement. One study found subjects who stretched for 30 seconds per muscle has greater range of motion than those who stretched for 15 seconds. But a 60-second stretch did not increase the benefit.

Most trainers recommend stretching your back, side and buttocks first; then your hamstrings, quads, calves, shins arms and chest. If your back and buttocks are still tight, you’ll never be able to stretch your hamstrings properly.

Flexibility and strength training go hand-in-hand. Weight lifters, perhaps more than any other athletes, benefit from stretching just as dancers and gymnasts benefit from strength training.

While there are many ways to stretch a muscle, some are considered risky and should be avoided. The time-worn practice of touching the toes with the legs puts excessive pressure on the lower back and the knee. The traditional hurdler’s stretch tends to stretch the ligaments of the knee and crushes the meniscus (cartilage). Torso twists, especially with weights, can also put strain on the knee.

Amy and her father both understand that, at his age, his muscles are less supple and take longer to loosen up. He also admits it’s a ritual for him that gets him mentally prepared for running.

When you see a young Olympic sprinter stretching before an event, injury prevention is probably not in her mind as such as the need to relax, concentrate and focus on the event at hand.

While athletes tend to stretch mainly in the context of an event, physical therapists think of stretching as something to do daily, regardless of exercise. In fact, sedentary persons probably benefit more than anyone else from increased flexibility.



Rupp is information and assistance case manager with the Northern Oklahoma Development Authority Area Agency on Aging.

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