Streching and injury

**Vapour** · Posted On: 8/14/2003 6:11pm

Someone told me that there was a research which looked at the statistical relationship between streching and injury. Suprising result was that there is no relationship between two, i.e. streching before practice does not reduce injury. It was also suggested that *warming up* one's body before getting into more strenuous exercise will reduce injury. Does anyone know anything about this research or clarify more finer detail of what this supposed to mean?

**FingerorMoon?** · Posted On: 8/14/2003 6:29pm

You'd have to show us the research you are talking about. I have read stuff like this before, but it all depends on exactly what the research was looking at. The information I read was in regard to weight training and stretching.

Personally I think its crap though. I've read just as much saying its a necessity to stretch before training.

Their is also info that states it is counter productive to stretch between sets and info that states the exact opposite. :)

In regard to warming up ones body, thats an easy one. You need to increase your core temperature and get blood flowing in your body before strenuous exercise. Stretching or a 1 minute warm up won't do this by itself. Stationary bike, jogging, skipping, etc for a few minutes will raise your bodies core temperature and reduce the risk of injury.
But thats not new or radical info...

**Vapour** · Posted On: 8/14/2003 6:38pm

Well I heard about this ages ago so I can't really tell you the source. I was hoping that someone who done say PE can give me more insight.

My interpretation of this result is that warming up naturally make you flexible while streching especially without warming up doesn't really make you flexible in any immediate term so has no effect to the exercise/sparing you are going to do right now.

Edited by - Vapour on August 14 2003 18:39:43

**Fatality Dragon** · Posted On: 8/15/2003 2:24am

Vapour so you are saying that you are gonna to no longer stretch now? I hope you will be happy with how you are gonna to eb able to walk and move around when you are so huge!

It is a rat eat rat world.

"A magical place where I have a freakish large penis and I am also the king of the mushroom people." - by Omen Stone

**Vapour** · Posted On: 8/15/2003 6:56am

Hmmm, depend on what someone would tell me about this research. If true, I might just concentrate on warm up from now on but do fiar amount of streching in warm down.

**Nihilanthic** · Posted On: 8/15/2003 7:08am

Stretching before doing stuff makes me real prone to get hamstring/calf cramps. Just doing a simple dynamic/ballistic stretch (not too much) and warming up worked better for me.

Could just be how I'm made, though.

&lt;Me&gt; John, what do you know about Zen Buddhism? &lt;John&gt; *smacks me*
&lt;John&gt; I'd have to smack you sometime...

**Vapour** · Posted On: 9/04/2003 7:12pm

Here is a quote from "Weight Training For Dummies" which I'm finding rather suprisingly informative.

"Another area of controversy: Streching is supposed to prevent injury and ease muscle soreness, but many recent studies have found that traditional methods of streching may accomplish neither goal and may in fact cause injuries, such as muscle tears from overstreching. One University of Hawaii study of more than 100 runners found that the non-strechers performed better, reported fewer injuries, and experienced less muscle soreness after their running workouts than did those runners who stretched regularly. ....

The ACSM's position stand, last published in 1998, states that despite conflicting research, there is a mounting body of evidence in support of streching, as well as substantial "real life" reports to make a good case for its importance. .....

The rules of streching

Follow these simple streching rules, which apply to all methods of streching:

Aim to strechi daily, but make sure you strech at least three times per week. ...

Strech after your workout, not before. Follow this rule whether you're doing aerobic exercise, weight training, or both. On days when you do only weight training, you need to do at least five minutes of rhythmic, low-intensity aerobic exercise such as walking, jogging, cycling, or stepping. Warming up gets your blood flowing and raises your body temperature so that your muscles are more receptive to the strech. Never strech a cold muscle. (This rule does not apply to Active Isolated streching, which can safely be included as part of a warm-up.)

Never force a stretch. ...
Don't forget to breath. ...
Don't just go through the motions and declare, "There, I've streched." ....
Give priority to the muscles you use the most in your workouts and in everyday life, but don't neglect any major muscle group. ...

**Vapour** · Posted On: 9/04/2003 7:14pm

What is "Active Isolated streching" btw?

**ampol** · Posted On: 9/04/2003 7:36pm

There were some Australian stuies last year, which caused quite some discussion amongst sports physicians, physiologists, etc.
The main weakness of the sutdy was the low number of partcipants.
These studies involved stretching for about 5 to 10 minutes per session, and the results showed no significant effect of stretching on either muscle soreness or injury. Even if the very slight differences that were demonstrated turned out to be real, they would imply that a typical athlete might prevent 1 injury every 23 years with pre- or postexercise stretching. At the time of publication, the full text of the original article was available at http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/325/7362/468 free of charge

**ampol** · Posted On: 9/04/2003 7:44pm

and of course there are zillions of studies which proove that stretching does work. But because that's old new they don't get any media attention:
E.G
J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 1994 Jan;19(1):12-7. Review
Clin Sports Med. 1991 Jan;10(1):63-86. Review
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And here is what has to be the longest link of the day, but it will get you to quite a good stduy on i:
http://ajsm.highwire.org/cgi/content/abstract/27/2/173?ijkey=12273f2a6561072fdf25e5a3f7344615c29f2412 &keytype2=tf_ipsecsha