There is alot of hoopla these days about how stretching is supposedly a waste of time.
It's funny how fads come and go. And often come back again. Is high intensity cardio or low intensity cardio better? What about barefoot running? Wasn't that the hottest trend 8 years ago? Why are there so few "barefoot shoes" in the stores now? So-called experts will often become insistent that the newest research study is the final word or any given topic. But when you've been around awhile you start to see the patterns. A new study is much more likely to get published if it contradicts existing beliefs.
If you have been around the fitness industry you may have noticed that the trend has been very anti-stretching lately. In reality, there have been a few recent studies to suggest that stretching is pointless or even detrimental to athletic performance. But these studies need to be looked at in context to be understood.
A few studies suggest that stretching BEFORE exercise decreases strength. These studies mostly focus on peak effort. If you are a legitimate competition athlete then perhaps this applies to you. And it even makes sense. A powerlifter is a good example. If I were a powerlifter, I would not try to completely stretch out my pectoralis major muscles BEFORE a single rep maximum weight bench press. Or perhaps a long jumper in track and field. If I were a longjumper, I would not stretch out my hamstrings fully before a long jump competition. Warming up with a lower weight bench press would make much more sense for a powerlifter, as would light running or jumping rope for a long jumper. In reality this applies to a small percentage of people, as most of us do not earn a living by bench pressing or long jumping. The net detrimental affect that was observed was so small, it would not be noticed much by the average person exercising.
Separately, there are more studies which looked at larger populations of non-professional athletes, and the relationship between stretching habits and injury rates. They could not find any direct connection to decreased injuries with those who stretched regularly. This surprised a lot of people. But consider that there was no instruction given to these people on how to stretch correctly. There are dozens of different ways to stretch, and hundreds of different muscles to stretch. So it is possible that a correlation may have been found if specific instructions had been given?
It important to keep in mind that these studies are in contrast to decades of research suggesting that stretching is beneficial, and that it could help prevent injuries. So where does that leave us?
In truth these new studies really matter little to me. My business is pain relief. These studies don't look at specific stretching techniques on specific muscles to decrease pain. Pain levels can most certainly be affected if the ultimate problem is due to a shortened muscle.
Notice I said shortened and not tight. "Tight" can also mean "taught", or "high-tension". "Shortened" means it needs to be longer. NOT ALL PAINFUL MUSCLES ARE SHORT! Pain in a muscle can result from being overused, being under-used, being too short, or being too long. That means that if stretching does not help the pain you are experiencing, stop stretching. There is a good chance the muscle that is hurting is not truly "short", and therefore stretching it will do nothing. AGAIN, NOT EVERY PAINFUL MUSCLE IS SHORT!
The take-away message here is:
1. Don't stop stretching if you feel like it is helping you.
2. Don't assume every painful muscle is short, and therefore needs to be stretched.
3. If you are stretching a muscle and yet it keeps hurting, consult a professional. A Chiropractor or a physical therapist with good knowledge of sports injury is a good start.
