Youth sports enriched my childhood. I loved playing soccer, baseball, and basketball. I stretched before practice and games to avoid injury.
Or so I thought.
Well, it turns out stretching doesn’t live up to the hype. Nobody told this young basketball player why he shouldn’t stretch before games. Or what the science really says about static stretching.
Let’s bust 3 common myths about stretching.
Myth #1: Stretching Reduces Injury
Research shows that static stretching does not reduce injury risk (Herbert 2002). (Or if it does, it’s a minuscule amount.)
In contrast, resistance training slashes injury risk up to 68% (Zwolski 2017).
It’s clear that getting stronger is more worthwhile than stretching.
Myth #2: Stretching Reduces Soreness
Ah, delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), that can’t-stand-up-from-the-toilet feeling you get 1-2 days after a hard run, heavy lift, or grueling competition.
Athletes will try anything to reduce DOMS, even hopping in an ice bath. Brrr!
Well, don’t waste your time with static stretching. Stretching before exercise won’t reduce soreness much (Herbert 2011). Neither will stretching afterwards.
Instead, opt for foam rolling, percussion therapy, light activity, compression, and sleeping more.
Myth #3: Stretching Improves Performance
Pre-game static stretching worsens athletic performance. The longer the stretch, the worse the performance.
Instead, it’s better to implement a dynamic warm-up for better performance and less injury risk.
Related: 5 Reasons Stretching is Overrated
How Should I Warm Up?
To be clear, these myths only apply to static stretching–holding a prolonged stretch for 30-90 seconds.
Dynamic, ballistic warm-up movements are ideal before sports or exercise. I’m also a fan of yoga and other movement-based mobility work to improve strength, balance and motor control.
Stretching and Pain
In the physical therapy world, static stretching isn’t a powerful treatment for knee pain, back pain, shoulder pain or neck pain.
However, it’s sometimes useful for treating stiff joints and muscles. And it does reduce plantar fasciitis pain.
Takeaways
Here’s 3 ways to apply the stretching science:
- Don’t feel bad for not stretching. Many of my patients blame their injuries on not stretching. The science says otherwise.
- If you love static stretching, save it for after your workout. Or stick to short-duration (<30 sec) stretches before training.
- Last but not least, implement dynamic warm-ups and resistance training if you’re serious about preventing injury.
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