To stretch or not to stretch?.....

…..That is the question we are asked frequently by our patients. Often when discussing the injury they have presented with, patients will make comments such as ‘ I didn’t stretch before my run which is why this has happened.’ Or ‘I’ve always had poor flexibility which is probably why I have a bad back.’ When do we need to do them and do they really make a difference to muscle recovery and reduce the risk of injury? Is it worth investing in foams rollers, trigger balls and massage guns?

In all honestly the evidence is a little sketchy. What we do know is that static stretches (holding a stretch for a sustained period of time) is not the best way to warm up for activity. A change from my school days of standing shivering on the hockey pitch spending 10 minutes doing stretches before running around!

If you’ve been watching professional sports in recent years, you’ll have noticed the players on the pitch doing movement based (dynamic) exercises to warm up: walking lunges, squat walks, back twists etc. Warm ups should focus on moving muscles and joints through their range to increase blood flow prior to exercise. This combined with gently increasing the heart rate is the best warm up you can do.

The jury is out on stretches following exercise but recent studies have shown no change to recovery and post exercise muscle soreness in those who stretch compared to those in control groups who don’t stretch. And there is no greater risk of injury in those who are less flexible.

So do we as physios still advocate stretching? In certain situations, yes. For example, if you have a muscle which is lazy and we want to strengthen it, it may be hindered by an opposing muscle which is dominant and tight. As such it can be beneficial to stretch the tighter muscle so as to allow the weaker muscle to activate more effectively. Likewise some muscles can get tight or go in to spasm leading to pain. In these cases stretches alongside soft tissue release (massage or use of a trigger ball or massage gun) can help reduce the tension. Also, if you have sustained a muscle injury, early stretching can help with scar tissue realignment which is important in the early phases of healing.

In conclusion, there are plenty of reasons why we may ask you to stretch! Another thing to bear in mind is that flexibility reduces as we age. So if you want to put your shoes and socks on with ease well in to your 80s it may be worth building some yoga in to your fitness regime!