IS STRETCHING IMPORTANT?

By Dr. Ellen Petersen (WISPA Medical Advisor)

A lot of sports people think that to stretch muscles after activity is finished actually helps to prevent pain in the tired muscles the next day. The idea sounds good but it has never actually been scientifically proven.

Stretching makes no difference on the pain. If you would like to try it on yourself whether the morning after is helped in respect of pain then stretch one leg after training for a few days in a row and leave the other one. You will then see if there is any difference.

However, what is clear is that stretching is valuable in improving flexibility in the joints muscle and nerves. With regular stretching you get a larger range of motion before feeling pain – your nerves adapt to the fact that you can make a longer stretch before they give you a stop signal and the muscles start contracting – basically your risk of muscle pull injuries decreases.

So should we stretch for a few hours or a few minutes each day? And when?

Tests in athletics have shown that lots of stretching before a sprint race is not good because stretching actually makes you slower straight after because you will be pulling your muscle fibers apart so they have less grip to contract and provide power. Squash players need strength so before exercising you should warm up and flex a little for mobility e.g. not too long on each stretch; just enough to enhance flexibility.

As for stretching after activity and then preferably not at all straight after a really hard match or workout as your muscle fibers and nervous system will not respond properly and you can risk damage. Normally though, to stretch for around 15-20 minutes allows you to work on a large range of muscle groups for around 30 seconds each.

However, beware of only exercising some groups as others will then become stiff. You can, for example, exercise the upper body a couple of times week, same for lower body, and other days the whole body. The key is to vary the routine – and remember that individual muscles can also benefit from being stretched in different ways too.

Some players are fortunate to be born hyper mobile and some grow up to be stiff as a door! Of course the naturally stiff people must stretch more to become flexible than the hyper mobile ones. Hyper mobiles should be careful with stretching as too much movement in the joints enhances the risk of ligament injuries because of being able to go “too far” out in a wrong position before the brain realizes and tells the body to stop the movement.

Stretching can help everybody when done appropriately and at the right times. You should discuss how and when with your physio. Get it right and you can help prevent a lot of time out with injuries in the future.