*NOTE: This article was written by our Occupational Therapy level II student, Leah Klima. Part of her clinical rotation with us has involved knowledge translation and educational content creation. She’ll be an awesome OT one day. Connect with her on LinkedIn here.
Stretching- Myth or Truth?
Let’s be honest, we often find ourselves experiencing the aches and pains from our workouts and day to day life. This leaves us questioning the effectiveness of the stretches we may (or may not) have done that day. We question: does stretching really work? Should I stretch before or after my workouts? How long should each of my stretches be held? Recent research has outlined the most effective stretching protocol to enhance the quality of our stretching and overall quality of our lives.
Stretching Protocol
Many of us are aware of stretches that we have been told will help with our aches and pains, but there is often a gap in our knowledge of the effective duration length. We often will perform a 15-30 second stretch and start our activities shortly after. Despite our best efforts to be proactive with stretching, we fall short of the effective duration length.
Researchers have found through their studies that, “4×30 s (2 min) and 2x45s (1.5 min) appear to be insufficient while 5x60s (5 min) and 4x90s (6 min) appear to be effective” [1]. Other studies further this research by finding that, “5 x90 s hamstring stretches reduced passive resistance to stretch by 8.3%” [3]. By adhering to this stretching duration, researchers have discovered the muscles ability to resist excessive elongation and subsequently decrease the risk of strain injuries [4].
Some other key reminders to remember with regards to stretching is that the goal of your prolonged stretch should never be to push into pain, rather to ease into one’s level of tolerance [4]. Stretching should be used by everyone, whether you are an athlete, parent, grandparent, or any life stage in between. Longer durations of stretching will improve range of motion, which is critical with our elderly population as their joint mobility decreases on average with their age. Finally, if you are stretching for a physical activity, stretch the targeted areas 15-20 minutes before and after the exercises [4].
Summary
Your simple stretching protocol should include:
- Hold each stretch for at least 4 sets of 60 seconds per muscle, on each side [1]
- Stretch approximately 15-20 minutes before and after exercising [4]
- Do not stretch into pain rather stretch to a personal level of tolerance [4]
- If pain and tightness persists with use of prolonged stretching, please visit your local physical or occupational therapist for further assistance.
If you are experiencing prolonged pain or stiffness and need help recovering functional movement patterns, please seek help by visiting your local physical or occupational therapy clinics. And if you are in the Augusta area, and want to schedule an evaluation, we would be happy to have you. You can book an appointment online here.
References
[1] Alonso, J., McHugh, M. P., Mullaney, M. J., & Tyler, T. F. (2008). Effect of hamstring flexibility on isometric knee flexion angle-torque relationship. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 19(2), 252–256. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2008.00792.x
[2] Feland, J. B., Myrer, J. W., Schulthies, S. S., Fellingham, G. W., & Measom, G. W. (2001). The effect of duration of stretching of the hamstring muscle group for increasing range of motion in people aged 65 years or older. Physical Therapy, 81(5), 1110–1117. https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/81.5.1110
[3] McHugh, M. P., & Cosgrave, C. H. (2010). To stretch or not to stretch: the role of stretching in injury prevention and performance. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 20(2), 169–181. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2009.01058.x
[4] Smith, C. A. (1994). The warm-up procedure: To stretch or not to stretch. A brief review. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 19(1), 12–17. https://doi.org/10.2519/jospt.1994.19.1.12
