Winchester Sports Therapy Blog

Stretching Point - the when and why of stretching for exercise…

There is so much confusion about stretching, which has lead to an argument over whether we should stretch or not. However this argument is simplistic and misses the point. So here is a stretching guide in a nutshell.

Why stretch?
The point of stretching is to regain or maintain a joints optimal range of motion (ROM). This may mean stretching your hamstrings so that you can flex your hip joint and reach for a ball with your foot, squat properly, or put pick things off the floor without effort. So do we need to stretch? If your joints can move properly life is much easier, and the risk of muscle tears is lowered, so yes, if you're muscles are shortened, or if there is a risk of them becoming so. This might be obvious to a lot of you, but when then should we stretch?

Pre-exercise stretching
This is not the time to be stretching to increase the length of your muscles. There is a wealth of research showing that pre-exercise static stretching lowers the power output of muscles, which could effect your performance, and may destabilise joints and put you at more risk of injury. More importantly though, if you are not flexible enough to play the game without risk, then you shouldn't be playing until you are more flexible. I see lots of athletes trying to force their muscles a bit longer before the race/game whilst complaining of feeling stiff and tight. You need to sort this out before hand, not just before the whistle. What we should be doing during your warm-up is taking your muscles through your full, existing ROM, so that it doesn't come as a nasty surprise during the game/practice/job. This should ideally take the form or low amplitude movements that gradually increase in size and speed until you have reached the end of your ROM and can replicate the forces that will be acting on them. Sometimes, this might look like a static stretch, but the position isn't held longer than a few seconds, and it is still meant to take your muscle through it's existing range, not increase it. Think of a cat getting up and stretching - it eases in to it's full ROM, holds it briefly and then eases out. Mostly though, it will look like a replica of your expected movements, or a gentle, controlled swinging motion, in this case, think of warming up a balloon before blowing it up - the balloon can easily stretch that far, but it just needs to move through it's range of motion to make it easier.

Post-exercise stretching
This on the other hand, is a good time to increase your flexibility. You are warmed up, it doesn't matter so much if you may lower your muscles power output and joint stability, and it may even help you to avoid being sore the next day. Stretching now should be static and held for about 20 seconds at the point of tightness.

Off day stretching
Stretching a muscle takes time, as you have to allow the tissues to lengthen without tearing. To make sure that you are flexible enough to take part in your chosen activities, you should be stretching any shortened muscles regularly between exercise session to maintain and prepare for when a large ROM is required. As such, a quick stretch after exercise is not enough to make sure you are prepared for the next time. A 20 second static stretch x2, performed every day would do the trick.

Can you stretch too much?
Yes, it is always a balancing act between stability and flexibility. Moreover, if you over stretch ligaments they will not return to their original length, and joint stability is compromised. The correct ROM of a joint can be found on line, or through a sports therapist, but will also be governed by your expected movement patterns; the bottom line is that you should not be banging away at the limits of your flexibility during sport or work, so stretching to give you a buffer is recommended, but you don't have to turn yourself into Mr. Bendy.