To Stretch Or Not to Stretch?

American Fitness, Sept, 2000

Most athletes stretch their muscles before exercising because they believe it reduces the risk of injury. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), however, recently published a study in its monthly journal, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, that indicates pre-exercise static stretching may not be as effective in preventing lower-limb injury as previously believed. Instead, researchers found that cardiovascular fitness was more of a determining factor in every category except ankle sprain.

"Although many athletes have faithfully stretched during warm-up for years, we questioned whether this practice actually reduced their risk of injury," says Rodney Peter Pope, lead researcher.

The researchers in New South Wales, Australia, studied 1,538 Australian Army recruits between the ages of 17 and 35 during 12 weeks of basic training. The recruits, all men, had no significant history of injury and were generally in good mental and physical health. For the purpose of the study, injury was defined as any lower-limb injury that prevented the subject from participating in full duties for 3 days. Both muscle and bone injuries were included.

Altogether, 333 lower-limb injuries were recorded (175 in the control group and 158 in the stretching group). Results led researchers to conclude that stretching before exercise has no significant effect on risk of injury in either soft tissue or bone. Cardiovascular fitness was found to have more of an impact. They determined those who were least cardiovascularly fit were 14 times more likely to sustain a lower-limb injury than those most fit.

Pope notes that while stretching prior to exercise may not prevent lower-limb injury during subsequent exercise, tailored stretching to maintain adequate flexibility for daily life probably retains its importance. In its position stand, ACSM points out the benefits of stretching on flexibility and range of motion in the joints, which are often reduced by age-related skeletal changes. Such loss can impair the individual's accomplishment of daily activities.