Stretching And Injury Prevention
The subject of stretching and its role in the prevention of injury has been under considerable scrutiny recently. In fact, it seems like every year there are new recommendations as to when and how to stretch, and what stretching equipment to use for optimal results. Despite many researchers devoting their time to the topic, the answers seem unclear. As with any study that deals with the human body and its amazing capabilities, the findings seem to point to the fact that each body responds to stimuli differently and that people need to listen to their own bodies and find what works best for them in terms of warming up, cooling down and use of stretching exercises.
In terms of injury prevention, studies appear to be telling us the preferred stretching protocol prior to exercise is dynamic stretching. Dynamic stretching refers to controlled leg and arm swings, to the limit of your range of motion. Using stretching equipment when doing dynamic stretching may be safer in terms of preventing unexpected movements. Dynamic stretching is also effective when it is combined with increased cardiovascular effort during warm up. The increased oxygen flow resulting from raising the heart rate and increasing blood flow to the muscles and joints is believed to work to lessen the risk of injury. Most experts believe that bouncing during a stretch is dangerous because the muscle may reflexively contract if subjected to stretching again quickly following a short relaxation period. These reflexive contractions are uncontrolled and may result in injury.
Also important in the prevention of injury is an assessment of your physical strengths and weaknesses in relation to the demands of your exercise regimen. Obviously, a gymnast or ballerina will have vastly different needs in terms of flexibility than someone undertaking a beginners running programme or member of a sports team, and their needs in terms of stretching and equipment are very different also.
What is not controversial is the fact that stretching (with or without equipment) increases blood flow to your joints and there is a resultant increase in flexibility. This flexibility is most evident in the trunk, knee, hip, shoulder and ankle joints. Stretching also enhances posture and control, which also aids stability. Improved stability means decreased likelihood of accidental injury.
Stretching also feels instinctively good and leads to enhanced relaxation. The better we feel after we exercise, the more likely we are to want to exercise more, the more we exercise the fitter we become, and the fitter we are the less likely we are to succumb to injury.
In terms of injury prevention, studies appear to be telling us the preferred stretching protocol prior to exercise is dynamic stretching. Dynamic stretching refers to controlled leg and arm swings, to the limit of your range of motion. Using stretching equipment when doing dynamic stretching may be safer in terms of preventing unexpected movements. Dynamic stretching is also effective when it is combined with increased cardiovascular effort during warm up. The increased oxygen flow resulting from raising the heart rate and increasing blood flow to the muscles and joints is believed to work to lessen the risk of injury. Most experts believe that bouncing during a stretch is dangerous because the muscle may reflexively contract if subjected to stretching again quickly following a short relaxation period. These reflexive contractions are uncontrolled and may result in injury.
Also important in the prevention of injury is an assessment of your physical strengths and weaknesses in relation to the demands of your exercise regimen. Obviously, a gymnast or ballerina will have vastly different needs in terms of flexibility than someone undertaking a beginners running programme or member of a sports team, and their needs in terms of stretching and equipment are very different also.
What is not controversial is the fact that stretching (with or without equipment) increases blood flow to your joints and there is a resultant increase in flexibility. This flexibility is most evident in the trunk, knee, hip, shoulder and ankle joints. Stretching also enhances posture and control, which also aids stability. Improved stability means decreased likelihood of accidental injury.
Stretching also feels instinctively good and leads to enhanced relaxation. The better we feel after we exercise, the more likely we are to want to exercise more, the more we exercise the fitter we become, and the fitter we are the less likely we are to succumb to injury.
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