Scott Sonnon: Born to Fail - Made to Succeed

Don’t Stretch! MOVE!

Are you stretching? Have you asked why? Did you read the studies proving the reason? 

One reader posted this comment:

“I am reading the Prasara Yoga book with interest. Scott writes that when one does flexibility exercises it is similar to nailing a rubber band in a stretched position. The rubber band will eventually fail to be able to return to its original position or it will break. If it does not return to it position this could mean a loss of stored elastic energy.I never thought of this, and I appreciate this analogy. This leads me to wonder about the many coaches and MMA athletes out there who do advocate static stretches. Guys like Bas Rutten who is certainly a respected athlete and coach does these very movements in his DVDs. Is Scott certain that the tendons and ligaments do indeed behave in the way he writes? It makes sense when I read his contention, but I would think there would be a lot of MMA athletes, gymnast, etc. with overstretched and useless tendons and ligaments in their old age if it were true.

I do not write this to cause a debate. It is just that I have included static flexibility exercise in my workouts for years and I don’t want to loose any benefit they may offer. I certainly enjoy and use the movements in GT2, Intu-Flow®, and Prasara, but I guess I have trouble believing that doing things like hamstring stretches are harmful.”

Stephen B. Thacker, director of the epidemiology program office at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted a study that reviewed 361 research studies on stretching. The results, published in the March, 2004 issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise® (MSSE) concluded there was no evidence that stretching before or after exercise prevents injury or muscle soreness.

The Impact of Stretching on Sports Injury Risk: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

CLINICAL SCIENCES

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 36(3):371-378, March 2004.
THACKER, STEPHEN B. 1; GILCHRIST, JULIE 2; STROUP, DONNA F. 3; KIMSEY, C. DEXTER JR. 3

Abstract:
THACKER, S. B., J. GILCHRIST, D. F. STROUP, and C. D. KIMSEY, JR. The Impact of Stretching on Sports Injury Risk: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 36, No. 3, pp. 371-378, 2004.

Purpose: We conducted a systematic review to assess the evidence for the effectiveness of stretching as a tool to prevent injuries in sports and to make recommendations for research and prevention.

Methods: Without language limitations, we searched electronic data bases, including MEDLINE (1966-2002), Current Contents (1997-2002), Biomedical Collection (1993-1999), the Cochrane Library, and SPORTDiscus, and then identified citations from papers retrieved and contacted experts in the field. Meta-analysis was limited to randomized trials or cohort studies for interventions that included stretching. Studies were excluded that lacked controls, in which stretching could not be assessed independently, or where studies did not include subjects in sporting or fitness activities. All articles were screened initially by one author. Six of 361 identified articles compared stretching with other methods to prevent injury. Data were abstracted by one author and then reviewed independently by three others. Data quality was assessed independently by three authors using a previously standardized instrument, and reviewers met to reconcile substantive differences in interpretation. We calculated weighted pooled odds ratios based on an intention-to-treat analysis as well as subgroup analyses by quality score and study design.

Results: Stretching was not significantly associated with a reduction in total injuries (OR = 0.93, CI 0.78-1.11) and similar findings were seen in the subgroup analyses.

Conclusion: There is not sufficient evidence to endorse or discontinue routine stretching before or after exercise to prevent injury among competitive or recreational athletes. Further research, especially well-conducted randomized controlled trials, is urgently needed to determine the proper role of stretching in sports.

(C)2004 The American College of Sports Medicine

The study concluded that stretching does improve flexibility, but being flexible doesn’t prevent injuries. Injury rates were higher for both the most flexible and and least flexible study participants than for the average participants. Most injuries happen when the muscle is going through its normal range of motion, so having an increased range of motion had no effect in preventing such injuries.

If you want the optimal warm-up which will prepare your tissues for a long life of work, then don’t stretch. Instead, move the joint through its entire range of motion with the Intu-Flow® Longevity System. [The Book is Coming Soon!]

Flow Thyself™,