Stretching Before And After Exercise Comes Under Scrutiny

We’ve been told for years that stretching is good, even necessary before many activities, especially running or other workouts.  But what is yesterday’s conventional wisdom, sometimes turns out to be today’s nonsense. Stretching may be the latest rule undergoing scrutiny according to the Atlantic.

“Unfortunately, there is at best a tenuous connection between stretching and injury risk. In general, stretching before exercise does not prevent injury. “But we have not yet studied every possible context, so some people argue that it might still be beneficial for particular activities based on some theories.”

“While pre-exercise stretching has come into question, stretching outside of exercise does seem to have some value, especially as aging decreases flexibility. Flexibility generally describes the range of motion commonly present in a joint. Although stretching can enhance flexibility, it’s an attribute that decreases with age, and varies by gender and ethnic group.”

Photo: Wikipedia.org