September 2005

I have heard that stretching may reduce my chance of injury, while improving my performance in sports and other recreational activities.  Is this correct, and if so how often do I need to stretch?

It has been shown that adding a flexibility regimen to your regular routine can indeed benefit your health in many ways.  A decline in flexibility can mean poor posture and may also attribute to muscle aches and pains, along with limited and painful movement.  Keeping in mind, the more flexible a joint the greater its ability to move through a wider range of motion (ROM) and subsequently function more efficiently. Generally, research on the issue of stretching indicates substantial improvements in motion; some even demonstrated that 20 minutes of stretching done 3 times per week can increase your range of motion by 30%.  The majority of traumatic muscular injuries occur when an individual pushes a joint beyond its normal ROM.  Therefore, by improving flexibility one will see a decreased risk for injury.  Stretching helps realign soft tissue structures that may have less than optimum development due to normal body ‘wear & tear’ and poor posture.  This realigning of tissue structures helps promote and maintain good posture and healthy movement in daily activities and athletics.  Research indicates that the change in flexibility appears to be dependent on the duration and frequency of stretching.  Results suggest that 30 seconds is an effective amount of time to sustain a muscle stretch in order to increase ROM.

Jessica King, PT