To Stretch or not to stretch

Stretching has become fairly controversal in the past few years. We know not to static stretch prior to any anaerobic power activity. But why stretch at all. there are many Studies that discuss performance enhancing characteristics of increased flexibility. There also studies that claim stretching will help reduce injuries. But for the studies that claim the increased performance and decreased injuries are due to strtetching there are just as many that show either no impact or the opposite.

The reasoning behind increased performance levels behind stretching and flexibility is this: a decrease in muscle stiffness by altering the passive visco-elastic properties of the skeletal muscle through stretching will decrease muscle stiffness, thus less energy is required to move the limb and therefore the speed of contraction will increase. However Stretching guru Dr. Ian Shrier in a recent literature review discussed that the decreased stiffness may decrease storage of recoil energy, which would lead to greater energy requirements. So anaerobic athletes may be actually impairing their true athletic potential by increasing flexibility.

As for injury prevention there is no good scientific evidence showing a cuase and effect relationship between increased flexibility and a significant reduction in injuries. A famous study by Hartig and Henderson in 1999 tried to test this idea on military basic trainees. One company was taken through a hamstring stretching routine while another company was left alone. They were pre and post tested for hamstring flexibility. Bothe were monitored for lower extremity overuse injuries throughout the six week basic training program. The results showed that both the control and the intervention group gained flexibility in the hamstring. The control group gained three degrees of hamstring flexibility. While the intervention group increased their mean by seven degrees. With the difference of initial flexibility there was a gap of four degrees already. With the authors logic doesn’t this already pre-dispose that control group to overuse injuries as opposed to the intervention group? Also trying to compare a group of basic trainees going through bootcamp to athletic training and conditioning is a pretty far reach.

In my opinion stretching does not seem to add up. While full ROM throughout a joint for an athlete is important, I believe this can be maintaines through dynamic warm-up and full ROM strength training. ROM is a very dependent upon the requirements of each individuals sport. A sprinter and a marathoner have very different ROM requirements as do Football players vs. Baseball Players.

Unobstructed movement is what all athletes should strive for. Just as with anything, the SAID principle applies. If you can perform your athletic movements unhindered and painfree, why try and become more flexible at the expense of power?