It's a Stretch
by Roberta Lee, MD (topic expert: health)

When I was in my twenties my fondest memory was a ten-mile run thru Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Running was a daily activity. It relieved the stress of my undergraduate studies. But I never had time to stretch. From my point of view, stretching was expendable and unnecessary. I though it was a waste of time.

I couldn't have been more incorrect. Stretching is one of the most under-utilized techniques for improving athletic performance, preventing sports injury and properly rehabilitating sprain and strain injury. Now, my physical activities have changed. Nature is still my favorite venue, but I've become an avid walker. I have also modified my daily routine to incorporate stretching. The years of running without stretching left me with tight hamstring muscles at the back of my thighs.

Even if you're not physically active, it's important to stretch. Without it, we become increasingly inflexible. After decades of inflexibility, we are more prone to falling. My patients always ask me how much stretching should they do in a week. I have observed small gains with stretching at least ten minutes once a week. Of course, yoga, swimming and tai chi are all wonderful stretching activities.

Slow gentle stretching is what we need when taking a long walk. Most experts suggest that the most critical time to stretch is before and after a period of vigorous physical activity. According to the Stretching Institute (www.stretchinginstitute.com) there are three key elements, or parts, which should be included for nonprofessional athletes to ensure an effective and complete warm up. They are:

1.) General warm up
The general warm up is a period of light physical activity. Your fitness level will determine the intensity and duration of the general warm up. It should take about five to ten minutes and result in a light sweat. The aim of the general warm up is simply to elevate the heart rate and respiratory rate. This in turn increases the blood flow and nutrients to the muscles.

2.) Static stretching
Static stretching is a form of basic stretching. It should include all the major muscle groups, and last for about five to ten minutes. Static stretching is extremely important as it allows your limbs a greater range of movement by lengthening muscle fibers.

"Static stretching is performed by placing the body into a position whereby the muscle, or group of muscles to be stretched is under tension. Both the opposing muscle group (the muscles behind or in front of the stretched muscle), and the muscles to be stretched are relaxed. Then slowly and cautiously the body is moved to increase the tension of the muscle, or group of muscles to be stretched. At this point the position is held or maintained to allow the muscles and tendons to lengthen". [1]

The above two elements form the basis or foundation for a complete and effective warm up. It is extremely important that these two elements be completed properly before moving onto the final one.

3.) Sport specific warm up
In this part, you specifically prepare your body for the demands of your particular sport. You'll need to do more vigorous activity and it should reflect the type of movements and actions that you'll do during your exercise.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that something as simple as stretching won't be effective and remember a little stretching goes along way to preventing falls in the future!

Some Reference Books on Stretching:

The Whartons' Stretch Book
by Jim Wharton

Stretching: 20th Anniversary
by Bob Anderson

Stretching Anatomy
by Arnold G. Nelson , Jouko Kokkonen , Jason M. McAlexander

Complete Stretching Book: A New Exercise Program for Health and Vitality
by Maxine Tobia

The Easy Stretching Workbook: A Complete Stretching Class in a Book
by Karen Smith