Debate over runners stretching rages on

/Home/Chiropractic Specialties/Chiropractic Sports Medicine

Debate over runners stretching rages on
June 12, 2009
Republican American

ou wouldn't think the seemingly simple and common act of stretching before a workout would give way to great debate.

You'd be wrong.

Thousands of runners will descend upon Litchfield on Sunday for the Litchfield Hills Road Race. Probably all of them will do some sort of stretching prior to undertaking the arduous 7.1-mile course.

One of the big questions in recent years in athletic circles is whether that stretching has any benefit.

“If you're preparing to race, you absolutely have to warm up the muscles,” said Pete Catuccio, a physical therapist at Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine Centers in Watertown and the head athletic trainer at Watertown High. “Research has shown that prior to activity, stretching is going to help you loosen up and prevent further injury. If you don't stretch, you'd be liable to strains.”

Such is the accepted practice among runners and athletes in general. But recent studies have shown that stretching prior to a workout might actually have detrimental effects, particularly in sports such as basketball and football that require explosive movement.

Late last year, the University of Nevada-Las Vegas kinesiology department conducted a study focusing on the effects of two stretching techniques for hamstrings and quadriceps in male and female athletes. While no differences were found in leg torque and vertical jump in those who did and didn't stretch, the study found that power measurements for those who stretched were greatly reduced.

While long distance running isn't explosive, the study found that stretching could have an effect on the slow, rhythmic gait of a distance runner.

Stephen Perle, an associate professor of clinical sciences at the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic, wrote as much in a 2004 article for “Running and FitNews.”

“One study even found that distance runners with tighter hamstrings and calves are more efficient runners,” Perle wrote. “During certain parts of the running stride, these muscles will absorb some of the energy of the body's movement, like a rubber band stretching. Then, some of this absorbed energy can be given back (as a rubber band snapping back) during another part of the stride. The more energy absorbed, the less wasted. Flexibility, then, may not translate to better running times.”

There are many studies that point to there being no evidence that stretching prior to working out prevents injuries. One study from Australian physical therapists found an insignificant difference in injuries sustained by a pool of military recruits who stretched before training and another pool of recruits who didn't stretch.

Of course, there just as many people who believe stretching is paramount to preventing injuries. Catuccio is among that large group.

“The analogy I use is to take a piece of chewing gum,” said Catuccio, who said he treats plenty of running injuries that could have been prevented by proper stretching. “If you take it out of the package and rip it, it rips easily. If you chew it for awhile and then stretch it, it elongates. The same can be said for muscles. There needs to be some warm-up and stretching to get those muscles ready for activity.”

Catuccio said the old school of thought pointed toward static stretching (holding a position for a long period) as the best. He said the shift recently is to dynamic stretching (leg kicks, etc.) that elongates the muscle tissue.

While there is much debate about whether pre-activity stretching is necessary, there is no debate that some sort of warm-up to get blood flowing to the muscles is necessary as cold muscles are the most susceptible to injury. It could be as simple as a brisk, short walk or a light jog. Most experts also say that stretching after a workout, following a short cool down, helps in prevent muscle tightness and discourages lactic acid (which contributes to cramping) from forming.

In the end, stretching might be more a matter of personal preference than an injury-prevention tool.