Do stretching exercises improve flexibility? If so, what kind of stretches are best? Is it best to do your stretching exercises before a work out, after exercise, or both? Does stretching enhance athletic performance or does it diminish it? Can an athlete prevent injuries with stretching? For answers to these and other questions, keep reading.
Differing conclusions have been dealt amongst dozens of research papers
in attempts to answer the above questions. With this website I hope to
address these and other issues based on my own research and clinical
experience. I hope to explain various stretching techniques including
static stretching, dynamic stretching, PNF, myofascial release and that
done in the practice of yoga.
I include stretching techniques for major muscle groups as well as more
advanced stretches for particular sports. Included are illustrated
demonstrations of the practical application of various stretches for
different muscle groups.
I discuss factors that affect
flexibility, although there is differing opinions regarding possible
benefits of stretching programs, I will attempt to focus on more
generally accepted research findings and less on the controversial
claims. I will attempt to include relevant references. With this
website I hope to improve peoples understanding of flexibility and the
application of techniques in stretching.
We need to be careful when jumping to conclusions when it comes to improving sports performance. The world of competitive athletics tends to promote new ideas with little thought about the evidence in an attempt to stay one step ahead of competition. Marketing to sports organizations and athletes is often anecdotal and testimonial based. As physical therapists it is our job to support evidence based clinical decision making and cut through all the sales efforts.
Just because static stretching doesn't improve athletic performance doesn't mean we should discontinue it. We know it helps to improve and maintain range of motion. We now have research that supports dynamic stretching as a method to improve sports performance, but we don't have guidelines or protocols for its most effective application.
Probably the most effective means of preventing injury and optimizing sports performance is a combination of all the stretching techniques.